•Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been urged to establish mobile courts on election day to quickly address cases of vote-buying, intimidation, and other electoral violations.
Mr. Bukola Idowu, the team lead of Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI), made this recommendation yesterday in Abuja while presenting the organisation’s final report on the conduct of the November 16 Ondo State off-cycle governorship election, reports Daily Trust.
The report also stressed the importance of empowering the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) to collaborate more closely with INEC in monitoring and prosecuting electoral offences such as vote-buying.
Idowu further suggested the introduction of stricter penalties for violations such as ballot box snatching and called for pre-election testing of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices.
He also recommended deploying technical support teams at all polling units to reduce errors in BVAS operation, alongside expanding technological backup systems to address any malfunctions on election day.
Idowu concluded that by implementing these measures, Nigeria could significantly strengthen the credibility of its elections and rebuild public trust in democratic institutions, fostering good governance.
