Our attention has been drawn to recent media reports to the effect that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has raised concern over the ongoing industrial action embarked by the Academic Staff Union of Univeristies (ASUU) and the effect it claims it will have on the 2019 General Elections since INEC draws majority of its adhoc Returning officers from the University. As a result, INEC proposed to meet with the leadership of ASUU to find a way of reaching an understanding for the striking University Lecturers to assist INEC in the conduct of the forthcoming Elections.
We therefore want to state unequivocally that INEC does not need to rely on these University Vice Chancellors, Lecturers, staff and students to conduct a free, fair and credible general elections in Nigeria. INEC can indeed conduct such free, fair and credible elections without using Vice Chancellors, Lecturers and staff of Univeristies and other tertiary Institutions.
The alarm reportedly being raised by INEC over the ongoing strike action by ASUU is therefore unnecessary and uncalled for. We wish to remind INEC that it was only recently during Prof. Jega-led INEC that INEC decided to invite Vice Chancellors and lecturers from Universities and Tertiary Institutions in the conduct of general elections with a view only to ensuring credible elections as a result of reports of massive malpractices by its staff and many other adhoc staff recruited by INEC.
It is pertinent to remind INEC and Nigerians that even with the use of Vice Chancellors, lecturers, staff, and students of Univeristies and other tertiary Institutions there are still reports of massive electoral malpractices in our general elections. Some of these staff of the Univeristies have been reportedly caught in the act of aiding and abetting electoral malpractices.
We have solution to offer INEC on how to conduct free, fair and very credible elections without using staff of tertiary Institutions.
Comrade Engr Igbini Odafe Emmanuel.
National President, Vanguard for Transparent Leadership and Democracy (VATLAD), Warri, Delta State.
