INEC Relocates Electoral Institute To Delta State

The Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) is to relocate its Electoral Institute, Abuja, to Oghara,
Delta, in 2013 to run a full certificate course, INEC National Commissioner,
has said.

INEC National Commissioner, Mr Ishmael
Igbaniwho said this in Abuja in an interview with newsmen added that that was
aimed at professionalising election administration.

“The Oghara resuscitation is part of
the ongoing reform at INEC for it to respond positively to the growth of
democracy in the country and capacity building.

“By early 2013, it will become a
full institute specifically for training and research.”

Igbani said the institute had been
abandoned for more than four years, but noted that when in full progress it
would attract visiting professors from within and outside the country on
sabbatical.

He said the institute would be under
the administration of a director general and other board members as against the
present board of six national commissioners one for each geopolitical zone.

“As the Institute is being
reorganised at the appropriate time advertisement will be placed in the
national dailies for the major positions.”

Igbani stated that the institute was
affiliated with the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Ahmadu Bello University,
Zaria, and University of Ibadan for postgraduate and diploma courses for INEC
staff would also come under review.

He said the institute had done a lot
in the areas of training and research into electoral processes with series of
publications to back their efforts up.

“At every election be it general, by
and re-run elections the institute trains various categories of participants,
as am speaking with you now the institute is busy conducting training for those
for the forthcoming Ondo election and the by-election in Plateau.

“The Institute is doing more than
the expectation of most Nigerians, it is so unfortunate that most of their
activities are not made public.

“Voter education is not the duty of
the institute because there is a department responsible for it in INEC and it
was living up to expectation with sensitisation across the country on the
importance of the exercise.

The Tide’s source  recalls that the Institute was established in
2006 by Prof. Maurice Iwu former INEC Chairman.