Politicians are Desperate and it Undermines Democracy – INEC
Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has attributed the inconclusiveness of elections which is beginning to gain prominence in recent times is due to the lack of internal democracy among political parties and desperate attitudes of aspirants and their supporters.
Professor Mahmood Yakubu was represented by the National Commissioner, who supervised the FCT, Niger, Kaduna and Plateau states on the issuance of certificates of return, Prof. Anthonia Okoosi Simbine in an event organised to review 2019 elections in Jos, Plateau. Yakubu urged candidates and parties to challenge the outcome of the election in a lawful manner if they were not satisfied with the results.
Yakubu also applauded Nigerians for their conduct during the polls and and described it as an effort wards towards deepening democracy.
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Yakubu pointed out that elections in Nigeria are becoming more competitive with the reduction in margins between winners and losers at the polls. Yakubu said:
“This explains why the phenomenon of inconclusive election appears to have increased, leading to the need for supplementary elections as was encountered here on the Plateau. To be sure, inconclusive elections existed prior to the present commission. It is also not surprising when a few big parties are contesting for power at every level. The lack of internal democracy in the parties and the desperation of candidates and their supporters, driven by the fear of losing everything, tend to compound the problem of inconclusiveness.”
Yakubu also lamented about the violence experienced across the nation during the 2019 polls. He tagged it as an attempt to undermine democracy by some people.
Yakubu said: “Unfortunately, the 2019 elections marked a new trend in which some parties and candidates engaged in violent behaviours, including manhandling of election officials and intimidation of voters, collation and returning officers. Thankfully, this was not the case here on the Plateau.
“The commission views this trend with grave concerns and will continue to work on greater voter enlightenment for mandate protection as well as with security agencies to curtail this ugly trend.”
