The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it will not accept university lecturers who are card-carrying members of political parties or have been convicted of electoral malpractices as returning and state collation officers in the February 25 and March 11 elections.
INEC boss, Mahmood Yakubu revealed this on Thursday during a meeting with vice-chancellors of Nigerian universities in Abuja.
He said the collation of results for the elections would take place in 8,809 registration areas or wards, 774 local government areas, 36 states, and the FCT that required returning officers for each constituency.
“Put together, we will engage 23,258 personnel as collation and returning officers. It is for this reason that this meeting is crucial. We need the support of our universities to source the requisite number of suitable academic staff of impeccable integrity who must also understand that this is a call to national service,” Mr Yakubu explained.
“As in previous elections, we have requested each university for a specified number and category of academic staff, as contained in my letter to the vice-chancellors.”
The INEC boss added, “I must warn that staff who are card-carrying members or have participated in partisan politics should not be nominated. Similarly, those who may not be involved in partisan politics but are known to have obvious political leanings should not be nominated. Furthermore, those who have been convicted of electoral malpractice must be excluded.”
Yakubu said INEC would carefully scrutinize the list, which must be submitted confidentially in the manner the commission prescribes in his letter to the vice-chancellors.
“Like all election duty personnel, each collation and returning officer will swear to an oath of neutrality,” he noted.