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2023 Elections: INEC breaks silence as it commences post-election review

Published

11 months ago

July 4, 2023

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday explained why it had kept mute on the divergent opinions expressed on its conduct, process and outcome of the 2023 general elections.

The INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, gave the explanation during the commission’s meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) in Abuja to commence its post-election review of the general elections.

Yakubu noted that since the conclusion of the election, diverse opinions had been expressed by political parties, candidates, observers, analysts and the general public on aspects of the elections that took place in February and March.

He said that such diverse opinions should normally be expected, adding that INEC had welcome all of them in as much as the purpose was to improve the future conduct of elections and to consolidate Nigeria’s democracy.

He said that the commission had consciously not joined in those commentaries in the immediate aftermath of the election for several reasons, including not to undermine the ongoing litigation process at the court.

He said that INEC’s preference was to listen more and draw lessons rather than join in the heated and often emotive public discussion on the election.

Yakubu added that since INEC’s plan was to conduct its own post-election review of the election, it saw no need to pre-empt the process.

“The Commission would not want to be seen as defensive or justificatory in joining the ongoing discussions.

“Finally, and perhaps most importantly, several issues around the election are sub-judice and it is not the intention of the Commission to either undermine or promote the chances of litigants in the various election petition courts beyond what is required of us by the legal process.

“Indeed, practically anything coming from the Commission could be cited by litigants as either justifying their claims or an indication of bias against them,’’ Yakubu said.

The INEC boss said that notwithstanding the foregoing, it was necessary for INEC to look at the entire process before, during and after the election to make an informed assessment, learn full lessons from the election, going forward.

He also said that in spite of the diverse views on 2023 polls for a total of 1,491 constituencies (one Presidential, 28 Governorship, 109 Senatorial, 360 Federal Constituencies and 993 State Assembly seats) the general election had its own positive stories.

He added that INEC believed the election was one of the most meticulously prepared for in recent times when compared to some previous elections.

“Among the positive stories is that the security challenge which threatened to derail the elections did not materialise.

“Concerns that the polls will be disrupted by the perennial insecurity across the country fizzled out on Election Day as the elections were largely peaceful.

“Despite currency and fuel challenges and widespread attacks on our personnel and facilities nationwide, the Commission proceeded with the election as scheduled,’’ he said.

Yakubu said that the first set of elections, the Presidential and National Assembly, held as planned for the first time in the last four general elections conducted in the country.

He added that accreditation of voters using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) had generally been scored very high by voters.

“Our records show that the success rate for BVAS accreditation stands at 98 per cent compared to the Smart Card Reader’s 29.2 per cent during the 2019 general election.

“Above all, despite the divergent opinions about the outcome of the election, the overall outlook suggests that it is a fair reflection of a complex multi-party democracy,’’ Yakubu said.

He further said that INEC record showed that the elections produced the most diverse outcomes ever recorded since 1999.

“Today, five political parties produced state governors, seven parties won senatorial seats, eight are represented in the House of Representatives and nine in State Houses of Assembly.

“Clearly, the 10th National Assembly is certainly the most diverse in party representation since 1999.

“In some states around the country, different political parties control the legislative and executive arms of Government.

“What is clear from these records also is that the days of single party dominance of our national politics are probably gone.

“Furthermore, many prominent candidates lost in the constituencies they contested, and political parties lost in some of their presumed strongholds,’’ he said.

Yakubu said it must be acknowledged that there were also some challenges, which were structural, infrastructural and human in nature.

“Indeed, it is in furtherance of our determination to address the challenges as we prepare for future elections that the Commission is commencing its post-election review engagements today,’’ he explained.

News

Nigeria’s money supply dropped to N92.3trn in March – CBN

Published

13 hours ago

May 17, 2024

NewsDirect

Nigeria’s money supply dropped marginally to N92.3 trillion in March 2024 from N93.9 trillion in February.

This is according to recent data from the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Experts have linked the development to CBN’s hike in interest rates.

Demand deposits increased from N26.8 trillion to N28.8 trillion, suggesting a preference among depositors for more liquid forms of money.

Similarly, currency outside banks surged from N3.4 trillion to N3.6 trillion as more Nigerians moved towards cash following the end of the apex bank’s controversial new naira note policy.

The naira has continued to depreciate against the dollar despite the CBN’s policy intervention. On Thursday, it further dipped to N1533.99 per dollar.

News

Naira appreciates against dollar, ends week on good note

Published

13 hours ago

May 17, 2024

NewsDirect

The Naira appreciated against the dollar at the foreign exchange market barely 24 hours after depreciation.

FMDQ data showed that the N1497.33 appreciated against the dollar on Friday

This represents an N33.66 gain against the dollar compared to N1497.33 traded on Thursday.

Similarly, at the parallel market, the Naira appreciated to N1475 per dollar on Friday from N1555 on Thursday.

This showed that the Naira ended the week well after days of depreciation.

The country’s currency continued to experience instability since mid-April when it recorded months of appreciation.

Meanwhile, the Bureau De Change Operators had blamed forex scarcity for the continued depreciation of Naira.

News

Police dismiss inspector for N29.8m theft, kidnapping

Published

13 hours ago

May 17, 2024

NewsDirect

The Nigeria Police Force has dismissed one of its officers identified as Adabo Mohammed for criminal conspiracy and armed robbery, among others.

Mohammed, who was an Inspector, alongside five others was said to be a member of an armed robbery gang allegedly responsible for the stealing of N29.8 million from a victim in Gwagwalada, Federal Capital Territory.

This was disclosed by the Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, in a statement issued at the Force Headquarters in Abuja on Friday.

The statement, titled, ‘Police speak tough on indiscipline, misconduct,’ noted that in a move to uphold professional standards within the Force, the Inspector-General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, stressed the Force’s intolerance to any form of indiscipline.

The statement read partly, “In a decisive move to uphold the highest standards of professionalism and integrity within the Nigeria Police Force, the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, has emphasised his administration’s zero-tolerance policy towards any form of indiscipline. He stressed that the mandate of the police is to serve and protect with honour and integrity, and as such all breaches of the core values of the NPF will be met with decisive action to maintain public trust and ensure justice.

“In line with this policy, all cases reported against personnel have been creditably attended to, and justice has been done appropriately. Many of the erring officers have been sanctioned, while some cases are still at the orderly room trial level, and will soon be concluded.

“For instance, a police inspector has been dismissed from service while three others were demoted to their previous ranks following thorough investigations which confirmed their involvement in various acts of indiscipline/crime.”

Adejobi added, “One Inspector Adabo Mohammed was dismissed for the offences of criminal conspiracy, armed robbery/kidnapping, and corrupt practice. The dismissed officer, along with five others were members of an armed robbery gang responsible for the robbery of the sum of N29.8 million from a victim in Gwagwalada, FCT as well as the kidnap of one Ikechukwu Emmanuel Okafor in Tunga Manje, and the collection of ransom sum of N4.4m. The ex-officer has been charged to court accordingly.

“Similarly, the trio of Inspectors Osagie Efford, Semiu Agbekin, and Francis Ahuen, attached to the Special Tactical Squad (STS), have been demoted to their previous rank of Sergeant for the extortion of some motorists in Abuja. The trio intercepted an unregistered Mercedes Benz at Gwarinpa, Abuja, and forced the occupants to part with the total sum of N29.4m.

“The matter when reported by one Harrison Gwamnishu (#HarrisonBBi18) via the social media platform ‘X’, was taken up and properly investigated. While the monies have been returned to the complainants, the officers were subjected to orderly room trial in line with extant laws, and have been demoted.”

The FPRO noted that some senior officers have “been subjected to the Force Disciplinary Committee hearings” to “scrutinise and address allegations of misconduct against higher-ranking officers of the Force.”

He assured the public that “these measures are taken with the utmost seriousness and are integral to restoring and maintaining their trust. He re-emphasised that the NPF is dedicated to fostering a culture of accountability and respect within all ranks to ensure that police officers serve with integrity.”