Obiora Ifoh, Abuja

Just 113 days to the 2023 General election in Nigeria, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has sworn-in and redeployed nineteen (19) Resident Electoral Commissioners.

Of the nineteen new Commissioners, fourteen are fresh appointments while five have been re-appointed for a second and final term all coming with knowledge and experience in various fields; nine of them are from the academia, including Professors; two lawyers; an Accountant; a retired Ambassador and six Civil/public servants, including retired Permanent Secretaries.

Speaking at the swearing in ceremony, the Chairman of INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, charged them to be transparent and non-partisan while remaining firm and courageous in the discharge of their responsibilities, and always bear in mind the commission’s commitment to free, fair, credible, transparent and verifiable elections.

He reminded them that even though the task is difficult, their loyalty should be to Nigeria and Nigerians by ensuring that votes determine winners in the 2023 General Election as they owe nothing to any individual but owe everything to the Nigerian people.

According to the INEC boss, the commission has over the years worked tirelessly to reform the electoral process and introduced many innovations that are generally acknowledged to have improved the electoral process hence they must continue to ensure that the choices Nigerians make on election day prevail.

He urged them not to compromise the neutrality of the Commission or create the perception of partisanship so as to guard against mischief.

“Furthermore, You Will Also Interact With Various Stakeholders. You Should Maintain The Established Practice Of Consultation With Them. However, In Dealing With The General Public, You Should Be Guided By The Provisions Of The Commission’s Code Of Conduct. You Should Not Be Visitors To Government Houses And Must Never Hold Unofficial Meetings With Politicians, Even After Official Working Hours. All Matters Pertaining To Official Responsibilities Should Be Conducted In The Office Attended By The Relevant Staff And Properly Documented”.

He further reminded them of the need to remain impartial especially with the use of technology.

“We are only administering the process in trust supported by technology. On this note, let me once again emphasise that the only means of voter accreditation during the 2023 General Election is the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) while results will be uploaded to the INEC Results Viewing Portal (IReV) in real-time on Election Day as provided by law”.

In an interview, the new Anambra State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Queen Elizabeth Agwu, promised to give Ndi Anambra the most free, fair and transparent election as she is coming with positive impact while her Edo counterpart, Obo Effanga, who responded on behalf of others promised that they will not be influenced by self interests.