The Independent National Electoral Commission has said, elections marred with irregularities can cause a civil war. The Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said this when members of the Red Card Movement visited the headquarters of the commission in Abuja on Tuesday.
Yakubu said, “We are fully aware of the enormous responsibility on our shoulders. A very good and well conducted election is good for the stability of a nation. A poorly conducted election may lead to anarchy and even civil war. We will never take this nation through that path. The citizens’ vote will count and this will be the sole basis for electing representatives at various levels in our democracy.”
The INEC chairman expressed delight in the increasing number of registered voters especially in Benue where clashes between herdsmen and farmers had left many dead in recent times. He added, “Very interestingly, in a place like Benue, in spite of what happened recently, there is a surge in the number of interested citizens in registering especially at the IDP camps in Makurdi. In fact, we had to deploy some additional resources to ensure that those who were in the IDP camps not only in Benue but also nationwide got registered.”
Yakubu promised that all persons who had registered would get their Permanent Voter Cards before the 2019 general elections. The INEC boss said for the Ekiti and Osun states governorship elections scheduled for July and September respectively, more registration centres would be created at the ward level to facilitate the collection of voter cards.
Also speaking, the leader of the Red Card Movement, Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili, who is also a former Minister of Education, said there was a need for INEC to facilitate the process of voter registration and encourage more youths to get their PVCs. Ezekwesili said it was unfortunate that despite the recent killings in some parts of the Middle Belt, politicians were busy discussing the 2019 elections.
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