By Harry Awurumibe, Editor Abuja Bureau
Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor
Mahmood Yakubu has charged the newly appointed Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) to work to uphold the integrity of the Commission.
Yakubu who gave the charge on Thursday while swearing in the 19 newly appointed Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) at the INEC Headquarters in Abuja, also reminded them that their loyalty is first to the Nigerian populace, pointing out that the Commission will not compromise on its desire to enthroning a truly democratic Nigeria.
According to the INEC boss: “the Commission has over the years worked tirelessly to reform the electoral process and introduced many innovations that are generally acknowledged to have improved the electoral process hence you must continue to ensure that the choices Nigerians make on election day prevail”.
Yakubu urged the new RECs not to compromise the neutrality of the Commission or create the perception of partisanship so as to guard against mischief.
He also reminded them of the need to remain impartial especially with the use of technology.
“We are only administering the process in trust supported by technology. On this note, let me once again emphasise that the only means of voter accreditation during the 2023 General Election is the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) while results will be uploaded to the INEC Results Viewing Portal (IReV) in real-time on Election Day as provided by law”.
After the swearing in, the 19 RECs were formally deployed to their respective state offices outside their geopolitical zones.
Of the 19 new Commissioners, 14 are fresh appointments while five have been re-appointed for a second and final term all coming with knowledge and experience in various fields; nine of them are from the academia, including Professors; two Lawyers; an Accountant; a retired Ambassador and six Civil/public servants, including retired Permanent Secretaries.
