The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it will not accept the nomination of university lecturers, who are card-carrying members of a political party or had participated in partisan politics, as Returning and State Collation Officers in the forthcoming polls.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, who made these known in Abuja, at a meeting with Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities on Thursday, added that no lecturer convicted of electoral malpractice would be accepted as Returning and State Collation Officers for the 2023 polls.
According to him, the collation of election results will take place in 8,809 Registration Areas/Wards, 774 Local Government Areas, 36 States and the FCT.
In his words, “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.
“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.
“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, adding that INEC would carefully scrutinise the list, which must be submitted confidentially in the manner prescribed by the Commission 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 added.
