Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has issued a stern warning to electoral officers, stating that the commission will not tolerate any unethical practices during the upcoming Edo and Ondo elections.
Speaking through Professor Abdullahi Abdu Zuru, Chairman of the Board of The Electoral Institute, at the annual lecture organized by TEI, Yakubu emphasized the importance of professionalism among election personnel.
He stressed that the success of any election largely depends on the competence and professionalism of those responsible for conducting it, according to the Champion.
Yakubu highlighted the need for effective training to equip election personnel with the necessary knowledge, skills, and competencies to handle the complexities of the electoral process.
He emphasized that the degree of professionalism exhibited by electoral officers directly impacts voter confidence, participation, and turnout.
The INEC Chairman warned that any electoral officer found engaging in unethical practices will face the full weight of the law, emphasizing the commission’s commitment to upholding the integrity of the democratic process.
He said: “To ensure the credibility and trustworthiness in our elections and build trust among the electorates, we must prioritize the professional development of our election personnel
“Consequently, the Commission has always demanded that all Election Officials should be punctual, courteous, polite, and helpful at all times. Voters are the masters and should be treated equally, decently, and with utmost respect.
“Unethical and corrupt practices by election officials will not be tolerated and shall incur severe punishment under the law. For these reasons, all election officials should be guided by a high sense of Integrity; Impartiality; Transparency; Professionalism; Gender and Disability Sensitivity; and due consideration and support for the elderly, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and persons living with disabilities (PWDs).”
Continuing he said,”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 as well as exploring possible collaboration with development partners to achieve best practices in electoral training.
“Through training, the Commission is able to deepen electoral knowledge and strengthen the skills and competencies of personnel over time, build a pool of professional and efficient trainers/facilitators that is responsive to the training needs of commission staff and other electoral stakeholders.
“Develop a structured approach that engenders decentralized service delivery for effective training programmes, broaden the understanding of the role of Commission staff, enabling them to contribute meaningfully to the goal of achieving free, fair, credible, and inclusive elections.
“Explore the modalities of global best practices with regard to the engagement and training of electoral personnel in the most efficient and cost-effective manner, develop effective monitoring and evaluation processes that will enhance the assessment of training impact.”
