* .Promises Improvement With Kogi, Bayelsa Guber Polls

Temidayo Akinsuyi, Lagos

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Monday said it was impossible for it to implement many of the recommendations made by the European Union (EU) and other national and foreign election observers because it would need the input of the National Assembly to do so through amendments to the existing electoral legal framework.

Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, INEC’s national chairman, disclosed this in Lagos at the one-day meeting held by the electoral body with the media to review the 2019 elections.

Prof. Yakubu said INEC could only implement few of the recommendations, especially the one that borders on administrative actions.

He, however, assured Nigerians that the commission would implement the recommendations, especially the one on administrative actions, starting from the forthcoming Kogi and Bayelsa governorship elections slated for November 16.

According to Yakubu, out of the 30 recommendations made by the European Union, INEC can only implement nine by administrative actions.

He said: “We are right now reviewing some of the reports of national and international accredited observers. Many of the recommendations cannot be implemented by INEC alone by administrative actions; they required collaboration of others and, in many cases, amendments to the electoral legal framework.

“This cannot be done by INEC itself, we have to go to the National Assembly. Let me give you some examples. The EU made 30 recommendations on how we can improve the electoral process in Nigeria. Out of this, only nine can be implemented by INEC by administrative action.

“The Commonwealth made 24 recommendations but only eight can be implemented by INEC by administrative actions. The joint NDI/IRI made 18 recommendations, out of which four can be implemented by INEC by way of administrative actions.

“We are committed to ensure that some of the recommendations that we can implement by administrative action will be implemented in the forthcoming Bayelsa and Kogi elections scheduled for November 16 this year.

“Indeed, I want to assure you that if there is any critical recommendation that requires immediate actions, we will consider it when we conduct the first bye-election since the 2019 general elections coming up on the 3rd of August in Pengana Constituency of Plateau State caused by the death of the member for Pengana who unfortunately died almost immediately after he was declared winner.”

Yakubu also commended the media for exhibiting a high-level of professionalism and objectivity in the coverage of the 2019 general elections, saying many of the coverage of the elections were done pro bono by media houses.

According to him, the media performed well despite all inadequacies, irregularities, and challenges faced during the elections.

The INEC chairman said he, all his national commissioners, and the secretaries would interface with various stakeholders in a week-long event, which would also involve all returning officers, as part of the review of the 2019 general elections.

He said since the conclusion of the 2019 elections, the Monday event was the seventh review meeting with stakeholders, geared towards having better elections in future.

According to him, INEC has held an in-house meeting with officials, electoral officers from 774 local government areas, political parties, and civil society organisations, among others.
He said the meeting was held to provide an avenue for media practitioners to raise issues that would improve the electoral process in the country, as the commission would work with other institutions and stakeholders to do so.

“Since the conclusion of the 2019 general elections, this is the seventh review meeting with stakeholders. We had in-house meetings with our officials, we had meetings with officials from the 774 local government areas, we met with the political parties, we met civil society organisations, and now we are meeting with journalists and the media.

“Through the goodwill we enjoy in the media, the 2019 election was the most extensively covered story this year. Even though we are just in the middle of the year, I am sure there will be no other event that will be very much covered as the 2019 general election.

“When we took the painful decision to reschedule the election, you were generous in your coverage. I can’t remember any organisation conducting live press conferences for a whole week covered by all the major networks, and you covered these activities free for the commission. I want to appreciate the media for that,” he said.

In his welcome address, Sam Olumekun, the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, Lagos State, commended media professionals for their support and synergy before, during, and after the elections.

“We want to hear from you what we have done right and how to improve on them; what we have done wrong and how to improve on them. This interaction will help shape the future.

“INEC is being treated as a ‘solve all’ organisation. It is, therefore, not uncommon to blame the commission for every inconceivable fault during elections,” he said.

In her goodwill message, Mrs. Funke Egbemode, the President, Nigerian Guild of Editors, who urged the participants to tell INEC what it did wrong, said that the media had no choice but to support INEC because the profession only thrived in democracies.

Egbemode, represented by Mustapha Isah, the Vice Chairman (West), NGE, frowned at the do-or-die attitude and act of desperation of politicians, describing it as “a disease” that could not be tamed by law but attitudinal change.

“On our part, we will support INEC to do its business because we have a stake in the survival of this country,” she said.

Dr. Qasim Akinreti, the Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Lagos State Council, said the meeting was not a press briefing but to hit INEC critically to make the nation’s electoral process and democracy better.

Akinreti challenged the commission to look into the processes of candidates’ nomination for elections, logistics, media accreditation, and punishment for electoral offenders.

In her message, Ms. Monica Frassoni, President, European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES), commended the media but highlighted the danger of fake news and its impact on democracy.
https://www.independent.ng/inec-cant-implement-eu-electoral-recommendations-alone-yakubu/

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