THERE IS NO EXTERNAL INFLUENCE ON INEC BY PROFESSOR YAKUBU

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has assured Nigerians that the Commissions independence has not and will not be compromised by any external forces under any circumstance.

He said: “There is no influence on INEC, and there will never be any influence on INEC. The best marker for INEC is the elections that we have conducted and the outcome of those elections”.

The INEC Chairman gave the assurance Yesterday, while responding to questions from members of the INEC Press Corps during the opening ceremony of a two-two day Capacity Development Workshop at Rockview Hotel Royale, Abuja.

“I have never been approached by anybody to do anything in any way other than what is appropriate. I am not under any external pressure, neither are the members of the Commission,” he declared.

ELECTIONS IN NIGERIA ARE GETTING BETTER AND THE VOTES ARE COUNTING - PROFESSOR YAKUBU

Nigerian elections conducted under the watch of the Professor Mahmood Yakubu-led Commission are getting better and the votes are counting.


Addressing Editors of print and broadcast Media at the Sheraton Hotel, Lagos, last week, the INEC Chairman emphasized that the votes now counted unlike in the past. Argued he: “if you simply compare the outcome of previous elections with the elections we conducted recently, you can very clearly see how the elections are getting better and how the margin is becoming even smaller. Votes are also counting today more than ever before”.

THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR CONDUCTING FREE, FAIR AND CONCLUSIVE ELECTIONS IS EVERYBODY’S – INEC CHAIRMAN

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Yakubu Mahmood has urged Nigerians to play their part in ensuring elections were devoid of violence and other vices that led to declaring an election inconclusive. 

He said: “It is not just the responsibility of the Commission but the responsibility of all of us. If we play our role and mitigate violence, because you see the fire smoldering, if no action is taken until it develops into an inferno, it becomes difficult for everybody”.

The INEC Chairman made the call yesterday when members of the INEC Press Corps paid him a courtesy call at the Commissions headquarters Abuja.

BREAKING NEWS: INEC Chairman says if voters names are on the original register of voters at the PU, they can vote #EkitiDecide

The INEC Chairman, Prof. Jega says if voters names are on the original register of voters at the PU,  but not found on the photocopy of the PVC distribution register, they can vote in the ongoing voting process in Ekiti state.

The Chairman has directed that if voters names are on the original register of voters at the PU but not found on the photocopy of the PVC distribution register, once their face corresponds with the pic on their PVC, they can vote.

Accreditation has been concluded in some centres. Voting will soon commence.

INEC Extends CVR in 10 States by Two Days

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has extended the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) taking place in 10 states by two days. This extension is in view of the huge turnout of prospective registrants, and it is intended to give a fair chance to all eligible persons.

The exercise, which was originally scheduled to end on Sunday, 1st June, 2014, will now run till Tuesday, 3rd June 2014, in the following states: Taraba, Gombe, Zamfara, Kebbi, Benue, Kogi, Abia, Enugu, Akwa-Ibom and Bayelsa.

INEC calls on eligible persons in the states involved in the exercise that are yet to register as voters to use the opportunity of this extension to do so.

The Commission hereby reiterates, however, that the CVR is for only the following categories of people:
(i) Persons who turned 18 years after the last registration;
(ii) Persons who were 18 years at the time but did not present themselves for registration; and
(iii) Persons whose data were not adequately captured previously and for whom PVCs were not produced in the last distribution exercise.

I won't remove Osun REC,Jega tells Osun PDP

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC Chairman, Prof. Jega has warned Osun PDP and other plitical parties that he would neither remove nor transfer Oluwatoyin Akeju as Osun REC for Aug. 9 Gubernatorial contest in the State of Osun on the alter of frivolous allegations levelled against his personality thereby calling for his removal on the ground that they don't trust him to conduct a free and fear election.

The INEC Chairman position was in direct response to PDP, UPN, DPP demand that the state INEC Chairman be removed.