The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja on Tuesday swore in 7 new Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) recently cleared by the Senate, to assist in ensuring that the 2019 general elections are free, fair and credible.
The RECs drawn from varying academic backgrounds, public and private sector service include; Baba Abba Yusuf from Borno State, Cyril Omorogbe from Edo State, Emmanuel Hart from Rivers State and Olusegun Agbaje from Ekiti State. Others are Yahaya Bello from Nasarawa State Uthman Abdulrahman Ajidagba from Kwara State and Mohammed Magaji from Gombe State.
INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, who expressed confidence on the newly inaugurated RECs, in his speech, admonished them to take responsibility for the implementation of the commission’s policies and charged them to exercise supervisory control over personnel, resources as well as the legal and administrative processes in the states to which they are posted.
“As election managers, you must maintain the required openness and consultation. At the same time, you must be very firm and courageous on the side of the law as well as our regulations and guidelines at all times as required of an unbiased umpire,” Yakubu urged the RECs.
Yakubu noted that as part of the 2019 general elections, the commission has embarked upon the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise nationwide adding that for the first time in the history of elections in Nigeria, citizens who have attained the age of 18 years and those who could not register before the last general elections now have the opportunity to do so on continuous basis as provided for by the Electoral Act.
“ The Commission is aware that citizens who registered earlier are anxious to know when they can collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), we have consistently reassured the public that those who registered in 2017, their PVCs will be available for collection in the first week of May 2018. Those who registered in the first quarter of this year (January –March 2018) as well as those who are registering right now in the second quarter of this year will collect their cards thereafter.
“We want to reassure all new registrants as well as those who applied for replacement of cards and transfers that their PVCs will be available for collection ahead of the 2019 General Elections. For those who registered in Ekiti and Osun States in 2017 and 2018, priority attention is being given to the production of their PVCs such that all the cards will be available ahead of the July 14 and September 22 , 2018 Governorship elections in the two states respectively,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of the new RECs, Olusegun Agbaje, lauded the commission for giving them the opportunity to serve and assured of their full commitment to the success of the 2019 general elections.
By Innocent Odoh, Abuja
