The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, has said he would not be intimidated by partisan pressure.
I have passed the stage where someone can intimidate me to do what is wrong. Mr. Yakubu said in the The Interview.
He made this statement in light of concerns about voter registration and accusations by politicians that INEC could not be trusted to conduct free and fair elections.
In a recent comment, Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, said the report of under-age voting in Kano had damaged confidence in INEC.
Mr. Yakubu, however, said, 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.
He said he had never faced any pressure from the Presidency, or any other quarters, to bend the rules.
We know that poorly conducted elections are a recipe for disaster, Yakubu said. We will never tread that path.
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.
