INEC Chairman Yakubu Speaks On Liberia Election, Lesson Learnt

The Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, has revealed the lesson Nigeria’s top electoral body learnt from the ongoing election in Liberia.

According to him, the need for early preparations is a valuable take-away Nigeria has made from Liberia as it prepares for the general elections in 2019.

Yakubu, who is the President of the ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions (ECONEC), made this known on Tuesday through a phone interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

Professor Yakubu, who spoke from Liberia, said: “On comparison with Nigeria, I must say that there is a little comparison as such because the entire system of voting here (in Liberia) is manual while the aspect of our own process (in Nigeria) is electronic..

“But one lesson I think that we can learn from what is happening in Liberia is the importance of early preparation for elections, particularly in the area of logistics.

“In the areas of voter education, awareness, identification of polling units, ensuring that people know exactly where to go on Election Day to vote,” he said.

On the assessment of the conduct of the Liberian poll, the INEC boss adjudged the process as peaceful, describing it is a plus for the country’s democracy and the West African sub-region.

He also commended the efforts of the country’s electoral commission and the preparations made ahead of the election as no major incident has been recorded so far.

“So in all and all, it’s all good-natured – very peaceful, very calm and people have voted. The first stage of the process, which is the actual opening of the polling units on commencement of polling has gone remarkably well,” he said.