INEC Not Happy with Elections Conduct – Commissioner

The National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in charge of Ogun, Oyo and Ekiti states, Professor Lai Olorode, has said that the commission was not happy with the conduct of the just concluded general elections.
Olorode also identified indiscipline of political party leaders, security challenges and voter apathy as threats to electoral process in the country.
He made this known on Thursday in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, during the presentation of Certificates of Return to newly-elected members of the National Assembly and the governor-elect in the state.
Olorode assured that those who perpetrated electoral frauds during the just concluded elections would be brought to book.
He said that INEC had done everything possible to ensure free, fair and credible elections but, in Nigeria, some people behave recklessly for selfish interest.
The National commissioner also explained that the issue of voter apathy, which did not allow active participation of voters in the electoral process, should be discouraged by stakeholders.
Olorode called for Election Offences Commission that would deal with election security challenges in the country, adding that the country needed to make examples of big men who perpetrated electoral crimes.
“Political parties, as an institution, and political party leaders treat political party constitutions with impunity. Political parties are regarded by some people as private companies, whose profits must be appropriated,” Olorode remarked.
The INEC commissioner said that voter apathy is a major minus in INEC’s resolve to conduct credible elections, noting further that: “The apathy is fostered by social discontent, feelings of disinterestedness, despondency and disillussionment.”
According to him, INEC statistics showed that less than 50 percent of those who had permanent voter cards participated at the last polls in Ogun State.
Olorode, however, submitted that “in African countries like Ghana, Kenya and South Africa, sensitive materials of electoral bodies are taken home by officials without any incident”, regretting that it is a shame such cannot yet be practised in Nigeria.