Elections: Security Agents, Journalists To Vote
The INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmoud Yakubu, who disclosed this on Wednesday, during a post-election review meeting with media stakeholders in Lagos, said journalists and security agents, such as policemen, soldiers and others should be able to cast their ballots during elections, despite being on official duty.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it will ask the National Assembly for legislation that will enable its officials on duty and others who work on election days to be able to vote.
The INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmoud Yakubu, who disclosed this on Wednesday, during a post-election review meeting with media stakeholders in Lagos, said journalists and security agents, such as policemen, soldiers and others should be able to cast their ballots during elections, despite being on official duty.
Yakubu, according to a News Agency of Nigeria report, said that the commission might approach the National Assembly to amend the 2022 Electoral Act to accommodate Nigerians that were unable to vote, because of the nature of their jobs.
He said, “For instance, there are many Nigerians that did not have the opportunity to vote on election day simply because our laws say that you can only vote where you are registered.
“So, most of the journalists on the election day worked in places other than where they are registered, so they don’t have the opportunity to vote.
“This doesn’t apply only to journalists, it also applies to officials of INEC itself; the regular and ad hoc officials, including the security agencies.
“So through this kind of interaction, we get recommendations coming from stakeholders and will see in what area we are going to approach the National Assembly to amend the laws,” the INEC chairman said.
The INEC boss insisted that the commission had nothing to hide and did no wrong, while appraising the 2023 general elections.
Naija News House had reported that both local and international observed rated the 2023 general elections as falling below expectations.
It had been reported that the outcome of the elections have become a subject of litigations in various courts across the country.
For the presidential election, both the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar and the Labour Party, Peter Obi are currently challenging the declaration of President Bola Tinubu by the electoral umpire as the winner of February 25 presidential election.
They have cited so many irregularities to prove their cases and Nigerians are waiting for the judgement of the court, as so many Nigerians have yet accept the Tinubu as legitimate President of Nigeria.
Despite of these infractions, the INEC Chairman, still maintained that there were many positive things that came out of the 2023 elections.
He said that there would be continuous improvement by the commission in the conduct of elections nationwide.
“This is an opportunity for the media executives in their various organisations to tell us what you have seen and how we can continue to improve the electoral process in the future.
“The commission has nothing to hide and it is this type of interaction that we continuously improve on the process for future elections.
“Clearly, there are many positives coming from the general elections and at the same time, we admit that there are many challenges in the last election.
“There are several elections litigations at the various elections tribunals nationwide while we should be careful not to touch on issues that are clearly sub judice,” he added.
