The chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, has sworn in six resident electoral commissioners, RECs.
Yakubu conducted the inauguration at an event held at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja on Friday.
He urged the new RECs to use their experiences to discharge their responsibilities in line with the electoral legal framework.
“The conduct of elections is not only a huge responsibility but also a sacred duty. As RECs, you are the representatives of the Commission in the various states to which you will be deployed shortly. The work of the commission is, to say the least, very challenging. I am glad that two of you, Dr. Johnson Alalibo Sinikiem and Mukhtar Umar Gajiram, have been reappointed for a second term, having served for an initial term of five years as RECs, while Dr. Sa’ad Umar Idris and Mrs. Feyijimi Saseyi Ibiyemi have been career staff of the Commission,” he said.
“Chukwuemeka Christopher Ibeziako, a private legal practitioner, and Umar Yusuf Garba, with years of experience in the private sector, are coming into the commission for the first time.
“Together, all six of you have cumulative experience in election administration or the management of public affairs to justify the confidence reposed in you to serve in the high office of REC,” the INEC boss added.
“As you assume or resume duty, I urge you to focus on your responsibilities. Let me make it clear from the outset that you must at all times be guided by the electoral legal framework, the code of conduct for RECs, and the regulations and guidelines governing the commission’s operations,” he said.
