The Independent National Electoral Commission has said the general elections will be held as scheduled.
Speaking with our correspondent, the National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, INEC, Festus Okoye, said the commission was ready for the polls.
He said, “We are putting finishing touches to our preparations and the elections will hold as scheduled. All the Resident Electoral Commissioners in the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory were in Abuja and held a meeting with the National Commissioners.”
Okoye, however, said the commission was not aware of any protest over the recruitment of Collation and Returning Officers. Okoye said, “Since 2011, the recruitment of Collation and Returning Officers has been centralised. RECs recruit, train and deploy Supervisory Presiding Officers, Presiding Officers and Assistant Presiding Officers.
“INEC is a creation of the constitution and the law. The mandate of the commission is to organise, undertake and supervise the strands of elections as provided for in the constitution.
“The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, YIAGA, Transition Monitoring Group and other civil society groups and organisations complement the work of INEC in delivering credible elections.
“Domestic election observers can engage in parallel vote tabulation and election observation. This is part of international best practices.
“The commission has accredited domestic election observers and has given them clear guidelines and regulations. Domestic and international election observers can observe the processes of elections and write their reports. However, the announcement of the results of elections is the exclusive preserve of the commission.”
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