The Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, disclosed this when he received the European Union (EU) Observation Team, led by Chief Observer, Mrs. Maria Arena, on a visit to INEC on Monday, in Abuja.
Yakubu said that in INEC’s determination to improve elections and ensure that votes counted, the commission had taken steps to address the disturbing trend of vote-buying by politicians.
He said that the steps included modification of the administration of polling units to make it difficult for voters to expose their marked ballot papers on day of election.
He said that the commission had also introduced partial ban on the use of mobile phones and other electronic devices by voters while in the voting cubicles.
“We are also introducing the rolling and flattening of ballot papers by voters on the day of election.
“We are training our election duty staff, in addition to voter education and sensitization, on this innovation. We will leave no stone unturned in ensuring the sanctity of the ballot,’’ he said.
The Chairman explained that political actors planned to use food vendors “around polling units with large voter populations as collection points for cash-for-votes as well as other forms of material inducement to voters on election day’’.
“We are aware of this trick. It will not work,” he said.
Yakubu also denied the claim that INEC had outsourced the recruitment of election duty staff to partisan actors.
He said that the Commission had established clear criteria for recruiting its ad hoc staff and Collation and Returning Officers, which, according to him, has been the practice over several electoral cycles.
Yakubu stated that complaints arising from the collection of the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) were being addressed.
“We are committed to ensuring that all voter cards are made available for collection by registered voters who should collect the cards in person.
“There will be no collection by proxy.”
He said that the commission had enhanced the functionality of the Smart Card Reader that would be used for the elections.
Yakubu described the EU as one of the long-standing partners of INEC in deepening Nigeria’s electoral democracy, through the EU-Support for Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN).
Earlier, the leader of the delegation, Arena had said that the EU would deploy 40 observers to all states of the federation during the elections.
Arena added that the EU would also have its Parliamentary observation mission on ground during the exercise.
“We will issue two preliminary reports after the elections. We will work strongly with all the stakeholders of this country.
“We will also have the final reports two months after the elections, with recommendations. We really appreciate the work that INEC has done with the previous recommendations after the 2015 elections,” Arena said.
Yakubu also received a delegation of the ECOWAS Observers Mission led by former Chairperson of Electoral Commission, Ghana, Ms. Charlotte Osei.
Osei said that the mission was to let INEC know that ECOWAS would be deploying long-term and short-term observer missions for the elections.
She added that the mission would focus on legal, media, operations, gender and disabilities during the elections.