EMEKA NZE reviews last Thursday’s rousing welcome accorded to the reappointed chairman Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Mahmood Yakubu, as the reward for a chief executive who has carried his entire workforce along in the running of affairs.
Going by the biblical quotation that “when the righteous is on the throne, the people rejoice”, one can unequivocally make clear deductions that the chairman Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Mahmood Yakubu, following the rousing welcome accorded to him last Thursday during his resumption of office for another term of five years, has endeared himself to the INEC workforce.
The rousing welcome by the INEC staff made up of top hirrachy of the commission- the secretary, National Commissioners, Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs), INEC staff from the directorate to lowest wrung, was effusive with emotions, like one reunited with his beloved father after his many months of absence.
Perhaps, to many of the staffers, it was a loud testimony of a good man returned to his exalted office to continue to effect and protect perquisites of hard work.
To buttress this, an INEC mid-level staffer who did not want his name in print said, “the second coming of Yakubu as INEC chairman is a pathway to greater things to come in the commission.”
Palpably excited that improvement of staff welfare would continue to be accorded priority attention, he went on to add, “those who made improved welfare impossible have retired or are due for retirement.”
Little wonder then the turned out of large number of staffers at the commission’s headquarters, cheering and hailing the reappointed chairman on his resumption of duty.
Yakubu Thursday resumed work in the commission after a month of stepping aside, following his swearing-in on Wednesday by President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential villa, Abuja.
The large crowd and ovation was so amazing that the returning INEC chairman had to disembark from his chauffer driven car at the gate of the commission to acknowledge the cheers as he frantically waved at them in return. Some of the breached the usual prototocol for a hug while some bowed in obeisance.
More amazing was that the visibly elated crowd erupted in a frenzy of welcome songs and praises for the returning chairman as he sauntered from the gate of the premises to the conference hall where the handover ceremony eventually held.
At the conference hall, the tone of Air Vice Marshall Tijani Muazu (rtd), who acted in his stead while he was away, was a reinforcement of the same eerie of emotions, when he recounted the difficult nature of some terrains where bye-elections had held while the chairman was away.
While reacting to the welcome address by Muazu, the INEC chairman butttessed how a good administrator he had been. He had given a sense of belonging and recognition to virtually all the national commissioners at one time or the other, to act on his behalf.
He said, “The conclusive conduct of the election under the acting chairman, supported by the five national commossioners is an indication of my policy over the last five years to nominate a national commissioner by rotation each time I’m officially out of the country, to oversee the affairs of the commission.
“In that way, all the national commissioners, at one point or another acted in my temporary absence. As a result, they have shown institutional capacity that the commission can discharge its constitutional responsibility at all times.”
In other words, he, unlike some wicked ’emperrors’ in some ministries, parastatals and agencies , saw his subordinates as co-drivers in nation building, not as a people who merely worked for their paypackets.
He effused gratitude to those who held forth in his absence by describing the enormity of conducting 15 bye-elections in 11 states as equivalent to conducting governorship elections in two states.
“During that period, the national commissioners led by Air Vice Marshall Muazu were able to conduct bye-elections for 15 constituencies in eleven states of the federation including 6 senatorial districts, the equivalent of two governorship elections. Each state of the federation has 3 senatorial districts, so when you conduct 6 senatorial bye-elections, it’s like conducting governorship elections in two states of the federation.
“I therefore once again thank the acting chairman and national commissioners, the Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) who have joined us this morning for this brief ceremony, the secretary to the commission, the directors and the wonderful staff of the commission and i want to thank all the staff of the commission for a rousing welcome back. We will continue to discharge our responsibilities to the fatherland. “
Like a with man with reinvigorated strength but starved of work, he enumerated the confronting the commission preparatory to the next general election in 2023.
“Our work continues. The quick passage of the electoral act amendment is a top priority and you recall that I appealed to the Senate committee on INEC during my screening for confirmation two weeks ago urgent no them to conclude work during the legislative processes for the passage of the electoral act amendment by the first quarter of next year, meaning that we would be happy if the electoral act amendment is done by the end of March next year 2021.
“I’m glad that in response the Senate President had assured the nation only yesterday at the public hearing for the amendment of the electoral act that the National Assembly is committed to that target and it is not only achievable, that they will ensure that it is actualised.
“For our part, the immediate area of attention for the commission is the resumption of the continuous voter registration exercise, also in the first quarter of next year and this must continue, at least, until 6 months to the 2023 general election. So we are going to register voters continuously for well over one and half years until 6months to the next general elections.We will also seize the opportunity as required by law to update and clean up the register of voters.
“We will continue to seek ways to improve the quality of the register until the credibility of any democratic election is drawn from the credibility of the register of voters . Without a clean credible register of voters, you can’t have a credible democratic election and we are committed to ensuring that we clean up the register of voters accordingly.”
To do so, the INEC chairman announced that a new technology for voter enrolment would be introduced in 2021 relying from the lessons of the previous exercise of 2017 and 2018.
“In doing so, we hope to introduce a new technology for voter enrolment in 2021, learning from the lessons we learnt in the previous exercise in 2017 and 2018.
He further disclosed that the commission has 1,508 activities to achieve before the next general election, promising that INEC would work hard to brace the responsibilities.
From all indications, the electoral umpire is already counting down to 2023. What this implies is that within 799 days left (as pronounced by him last Thursday), Nigerians may be expecting a free, fair and credible 2023 general elections. With the feat already achieved in Edo and Ondo states govervornorship elections, INEC might have shown that it’s no big deal after all.