Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu on Wednesday sworn in a new Resident Electoral Commissioner for Zamfara state.
According to the INEC Chairman, the new REC, Sa’idu Ahmad, a Professor of English Literature from Bayero University Kano statutorily fills the vacancy for his home state of Jigawa following the completion of the tenure of Abdullahi Kaugama, an experienced administrator who had earlier served as Secretary to the Commission.
Checks revealed that three National Commissioners also resumed at the Commission headquarter shortly after being sworn in by President Muhammadu Buhari.
They are Professor Abdullahi Zuru, a Chemist and former Vice-Chancellor of Kebbi State University and Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto: Professor Sani Adam, a lawyer and former Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Abuja; and Dr Baba Bila, a Chartered Accountant and former Bursar of the University of Benin.
In his remarks to welcome the new National Commissioners and Resident Electoral Commissioner, Professor Yakubu said he was confident that all “the four appointees bring to the Commission their vast knowledge and experience as scholars and administrators.”
He admonished them to cooperate in further extending the frontiers of free and fair elections in Nigeria by discharging their responsibility, faithfully.
“In addition to adherence to the provisions of the law, our success in this arduous task also draws from our integrity as election managers. We must be strict in the application of the law, firm in handling the public trust bestowed on us and fair in our dealings with political parties and candidates. We must remember that in discharging our responsibilities, Nigeria and Nigerians must always come first. We must abide by our oaths of office to defend the choice made by Nigerians at the polls in all elections and continue to protect the sanctity of the vote without which democratic election is meaningless.”
The INEC Chairman equally tasked them to key into the Commission vision’ to keep deepening the credibility of the electoral process by improving on all planning, management, implementation and support processes through the deployment of appropriate technology.”
