As part of its commitment to transparency during next month’s poll, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has excluded all its National Commissioners, including the controversial Amina Zakari, from the collation of presidential poll results and other strands of elections.
The commission has also decided to throw open its Situation Room to accredited observers, civil society organisations and the media.
About one million (1m) Nigerians have applied for poll jobs as ad hoc staff. But INEC is still grappling with 639 court cases, arising from party primaries, barely 20 days to the general elections.
It, however, said it is impossible for anyone, no matter how smart, to compromise Card Readers.
According to a source, who spoke in strict confidence, neither the widely-criticised National Commissioner Amina Zakari nor any of the National Commissioners will be involved in the collation of presidential poll results.
The source also said the Resident Electoral Commissioners have no business with collation of results.
The source said: “No National Commissioner is in charge of collation of presidential poll results. It is true that there is what is called Collation Centre but it is separate from the Collation Secretariat, which is responsible for the collation of results.
“No National Commissioner will be appointed into the Secretariat Committee. So, Hajiya Amina Zakari or any National Commissioner does not have anything to do with the collation of results.”
Regarding preparation for the general elections, the source said: “Our plans are on course, we are happy with the speed…”
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