INEC upgrading to international standards -Yakubu

Charles Okonji reports on current improvements in the Independent National Electoral Commission
(INEC).

THE Independent National Electoral Commission has disclosed that it has commenced with the process of upgrading its electoral procedures to match with the international standards.

The Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, dropped this hint at the public presentation of the 2019 general election publication on “Women participation in 2019 general elections from an accountability perspective, Kano and Oyo under spotlight recently in Ibadan.

He said; “I will like to inform you that the commission is working towards improving on what it has, so that it can meet up with international standards. In the last general elections, Nigeria witnessed a rising tide of continuous ending in heated debates, court challenges, protests and legitimacy crises. Hostilities in conduct of primaries, among the political parties created an atmosphere of distrust, and the Commission has more than 600 cases relating to the conduct of party primaries.”

He noted that participation in political and public life is a critical element of social inclusive development, along with the realisation of human rights under international standards, pointing out that both men and women should have equal rights and opportunities to everything worldwide, especially to participate in all aspects and at all levels of political processes.

He said; “Nigerian women constitute nearly half of the population of the country, despite the major roles they play by their population, women’s role in the society is yet to be given recognition. Despite a general commitment to the principles of nondiscrimination as enshrined in section 2 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended, the country falls short of the deserved result of giving males and females equal opportunities to advance socially, economically and politically. Evidences are bound of several negative aspects of gender relations, such as disparities between male and female access to power and resources. These played out in the 2019 general elections.”

The INEC Boss noted that the 2019 general elections activities and engagements showed a high level participation of women in electoral process as aspirants, saying that due to barriers, they regressed in number that won election.

He regretted that party primaries fell short of expectation as many could not secure tickets to secure their parties, stating that only five percent of the people that ran for Presidential position were women.

He said; “1,668 men and 232 women vied for the 109 Senatorial seats, while 4,139 men and 533 women contended for 360 seats in the House of Representatives. At the end of the election, only seven women won Senatorial seats and 11 were elected into the House of Representatives, while four were elected as Deputy Governors.  However, other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have laid example to follow. For example, 12 Sub-Saharan countries elected more than 30 percent women into legislative positions, while Rwanda reportedly has so many success stories and advancement in electing women to more than 60 percent of its legislative positions.”

He pointed out that the huge efforts made by the Commission, to support the participation of women in the electoral process did not succeed in addressing the decline of women representation in politics, stressing that it has become worrisome as women participation in governance and leadership is not only essential prerequisite in removing gender inequality, but also attainment of basic human right.

Concerning ICT and innovation, the INEC Chieftain said; “In the recent time, the commission has employed a number of innovative approach, including the use of technology to improve the management and conduct of elections in the country and there is no gainsaying that technology has drastically reduced incidences of electoral malpractices. Research reviews that the use of ICT in election has eliminated the incidences of multiple registration, which had been one of the main political tools for rigging elections by unscrupulous and savaged elements.

“A view of the ICT system in Nigeria has shown that the introduction of Electronic Voters Register (EVR), Automatic Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS), and Smart Card Reader (SCR) have reduced the incidence of multiple registrations and multiple voting to the barest minimum. Hence, the incorporation of information and communication technology in election management in Nigeria has curbed excessive electoral fraud to the barest minimum, foster credible elections, and added more credence to INEC transparency.”