Ondo, Edo guber: INEC chairman cautions officials against unethical conducts
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has cautioned officials against unethical conducts during the forthcoming governorship elections in Edo and Ondo scheduled for September 21 and November 16, 2024, respectively.
He announced that the Commission would deal ruthlessly with any election official found wanting during the exercise according to the provision of the law.
The INEC boss stated this during the annual memorial lecture organized by The Electoral Institute (TEI) in honour of the late Director General of the Institute, Prof. Abubakar Momoh, in Abuja.
Yakubu who was represented by the Chairman of the Board of TEI, Prof. Abdullahi Abdu Zuru, noted that the theme of the year’s memorial lecture: “Achieving Professionalism among Election Personnel through Effective Training in Preparation for Edo and Ondo Off-Cycle Governorship Elections” was proportionate with the election and very timely.
He stressed that to ensure credibility of the electoral process and build trust among the electorate, it had become necessary to prioritize the professionalism of election officials through effective training.
“Effective and efficient electoral training is the key to unlocking professionalism among election personnel, hence; the Commission is unequivocal in its drive to equip its staff cum trainers with the knowledge, skills, and ethical standards required to excel in their roles by investing in comprehensive and interactive training programs and exploring possible collaboration with development partners to achieve the best practices in electoral training,” he said.
Yakubu also urged election officials to be punctual, courteous, polite and helpful at all times, noting that voters should be treated equally, decently and with utmost respect.”
He also called on them to be guided by the principles of integrity, impartiality, transparency and professionalism.
“They should be sensitive to gender and disability issues and give due consideration to the elderly, pregnant women, nursing mothers and Persons with Disabilities (PwDs).
In his welcome remarks, the Director General (DG) of TEI, Dr. Sa’ad Umar Idris highlighted the Commission’s efforts to enhance the capacity and competencies of its personnel.
He noted that through the Electoral Institute, the Commission had continued to develop programmes, including technologically-driven learning platforms to make training and learning easier and more effective.
He stressed that the forthcoming elections in Edo and Ondo States would present a significant opportunity to demonstrate the commission’s commitment to conducting a free, fair, credible and inclusive elections.
