Before the polls, all ad hoc staff hired to assist the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in conducting the upcoming general election would take an oath of neutrality.
WITHIN NIGERIA has learned that the INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, made the announcement on Saturday while inspecting ongoing training for Supervisory Presiding Officers.
According to him, the commission is focused on conducting one of the best elections in Nigerian history, so the integrity of polling officers has a significant impact on election outcomes, whether positive or negative.
The INEC chief stated that ad hoc staff owed no allegiance to any political party or candidate, but rather to the citizens, and thus must remain neutral.
Yakubu stated that ad hoc staff were carefully selected for the exercise, adding that they would supervise those who would conduct the election, making their position critical.
He said;
You are going to supervise the Presiding Officers who are actually going to conduct the elections in all the polling units for Nigeria.
It is important to bear in mind your commitment to the Federal Republic of Nigeria and what counts most is your integrity as Presiding Supervisory Officers.
You have been carefully selected by the commission to perform a very important responsibility for the Federal Republic of Nigeria. You are doing this for Nigeria and you are going to swear to an oath of neutrality. Your loyalty is to Nigeria, your allegiance is to the people of Nigeria and not anybody.
While thanking them for agreeing to serve as presiding supervisory officers at the election, Yakubu reminded them that INEC is not a political party and does not have a candidate in the elections.
Yakubu also revealed that the FCT was training 352 ad hoc staff to serve as Supervisory Presiding Officers, of which 282 will be deployed for election duty.
He added:
What is happening in the FCT is happening in the 36 states of the Federation. This is a further assurance to Nigerians of the readiness of the commission to conduct the elections as planned the staff to be deployed to conduct the election are being trained nationwide.
We will make sure that the process is what we say it should be so that the choice made by Nigerians determines who becomes what at whatever level.
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