The Chairman of the Independent
National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has said he would
not be intimidated ahead of the 2019 election.
He spoke in reaction to concerns
and condemnation trailing voter and underage registration as well as
accusations by politicians that INEC could not be trusted to conduct free and
fair elections.
Yakubu in the current edition of
The Interview said: “I have passed the stage where someone can tell me to do
what is wrong”.
“I have passed that stage, where
I can be intimidated, with due respect.
“And the real test is in what we
have done (178 ‘mini’ elections) so far.
“The most interesting thing for
me is that both parties accuse us equally. So, that means we are doing
something right.”
Yakubu said he had never faced
any pressure from the Buhari government or any other quarters to bend the
rules.
“We know that poorly conducted
elections are a recipe for disaster. We will never tread that path,” he said.
On the Kano underage voting, the
INEC Chairman said: “These are elections that are not the legal and
constitutional responsibilities of INEC.
“There are legal entities that
conduct local and government elections in this country.
“So, on what basis are we going
to prosecute electoral offenders in an election in which INEC is not legally
responsible for?”
Reminded that potential abuse of
INEC’s register was enough basis for prosecution, he said the argument could
also be stretched to other agencies involved in the process, including the
Police.
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