A coalition of 30 Independent Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and Community Based Organizations (CBOs), under the aegis of Nigeria Civil Society Desk (NCSD), Wednesday said the reappointment of Professor Mahmood Yakubu, as the chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), would deepen the nation’s electoral transparency.
The groups urged Professor Yakubu not to relent but redouble his efforts and ensure that the card reader technology as well as Z-pad electronic transmission of results, to which he has demonstrated absolute resolve, is made part and parcel of electoral system.
Appreciating President Muhammadu Buhari for reappointing Prof. Yakubu, the groups, in a document signed by its national coordinator, Muhammad Hashidu and national secretary, Dr. Isaac Iduma, Wednesday noted that their call for his reappointment didn’t fall on deaf ears.
The group said : “As independent, and nonprofit organisations internationally and locally known as Domestic Election Observer Groups that have been observing and monitoring elections processes in Nigeria since inception of the 4th Republic, which ushered in new democratic order since 1999 to date, we want to emphatically state here without fear or favour that we have been working and monitoring the commission very closely right from that time till this present dispensation, but had never recommended or moved to advocate for re-appointment of any INEC chairman.
Continuing, the statement read: “But haven reviewed and analysed the past and the present commissions, essentially, with the conceptual ideologies, technological innovations, and the professionalism of the present commission led by Professor Yakubu, we discovered that there is absolute need for continuity to enable him consolidate and accomplish the novel and robust innovations, particularly with the newly introduced technologies into our electoral system, would no doubt deepens electioneering process and build more confidence between the electorate, other relevant stakeholders and electoral architecture in particular.
“Importantly, we noticed with joy a paradigm shift during the just concluded Edo and Ondo states governorship elections.”