February 10, (THEWILL) – The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will not accept the nomination of university lecturers, who are card-carrying members of a political party or had participated in partisan politics, as Returning and State Collation Officers in the forthcoming polls.
INEC also said no lecturer convicted of electoral malpractice would be accepted as Returning and State Collation Officers for the 2023 polls.
The Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, made these known in Abuja, at a meeting with Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities.
Yakubu said the collation of election results will take place in 8,809 Registration Areas/Wards, 774 Local Government Areas, 36 States and the FCT.
“Put together, we will engage 23,258 personnel as Collation and Returning Officers. It is for this reason that this meeting is crucial.
“We need the support of our universities to source the requisite number of suitable academic staff of impeccable integrity, who must also understand that this is a call to national service.
“As in previous elections, we have requested each university for a specified number and category of academic staff as contained in my letter to the Vice-Chancellors.
“I must warn that staff, who are card-carrying members or have participated in partisan politics, should not be nominated.
“Similarly, those who may not be involved in partisan politics but are known to have obvious political leanings should not be nominated.
“Furthermore, those who have been convicted of electoral malpractice must be excluded,” Yakubu said, adding that INEC would carefully scrutinise the list, which must be submitted confidentially in the manner prescribed by the Commission in his letter to the Vice Chancellors.
“Like all election duty personnel, each Collation and Returning Officer will swear to an oath of neutrality,” he added.
Yakubu commended the partnership of Nigerian Universities to conduct elections in Nigeria.
“For the various collation and declaration centres, the Commission draws the required Collation and Returning Officers from the academic staff of our universities, including the Vice Chancellors, who serve as Returning Officers for Governorship election and State Collation Officers for Presidential election.
“In spite of a few challenges, this happy partnership has further enhanced the transparency and credibility of the elections in Nigeria, as well as public confidence in the process. The Commission wishes to sustain this partnership,” he added.
On his part, the Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Abubakar Rasheed, represented by Deputy Executive Secretary of the NUC, Chris Maiyaki, commended INEC for its confidence in the Nigerian university system.
“We like to appreciate INEC for always recognising this constituency. Why haven’t they gone to the civil service proper? Why not to the union? Why not to the bankers?
“I think this underscores the importance, the trust that the nation has in the university system.
“We hope this meeting will turn out to be a productive and fruitful one and at the end of the day, as the international community and the nation expect, these elections, like previous ones, will also come to pass and we will have the course to glorify God that Nigeria rose to the occasion,” he said.
