Election Review Committee Submits Report To INEC

The Registration and Election Review Committee (RERC) yesterday in Abuja presented its report and recommendations on ways to improve the nation’s electoral process to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The report presented by the committee chairman, Prof. Adele Jinadu, focused on three major areas, geared toward deepening the country’s democracy.

Jinadu urged INEC to find the recommendations useful in deepening democratic ethos and civic culture in the electoral process.

“It is our fervent hope that you will find in our report a rich vein of data and indicative pathway to enable INEC navigate much more skillfully and successfully the troubled and dangerous waters of our electoral politics,” Jinadu said.

Receiving the report, INEC chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, said that the commission would study the recommendations critically and bring them to bear in its efforts at improving the nation’s electoral process.

Jega said that the report focused on the need to strengthen democratic efforts and civic culture in the political parties to enable them effectively drive the democratic development process.

He said that the report stressed the need to restructure and re-invent INEC, particularly to improve the tempo of strategic planning to enable it undertake its statutory mandate.

The report, he said, canvassed the need to develop the potential of the country’s electoral institute, strengthen it as an in-house training, research and development institution on various aspects of electoral governance and political behaviour.

Jega said that the recommendation for dialogue with stakeholders in order to keep on deepening democracy was also crucial toward improving the electoral process in the country.

“The commission will take the key recommendations so that we can put them to good use to continue to improve the reform process.

The INEC boss stated that: “Nigerians expect a lot more in terms of electoral reform process and that all stakeholders should play positive roles that are expected for our democratic development.”