Two newly appointed Resident Electoral Commissioners have been sworn into office by the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Mahmood Yakubu, in Abuja.
This comes after their confirmation by the senate due to vacancies in two states.
Maryam Muhammed reports that since the establishment of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in 1999 Resident Electoral Commissioners have played a crucial role being responsible for the conduct and supervision of elections in all states of the Federation.
They take delivery of all sensitive and non-sensitive materials from INEC Headquarters and distribute them to all Electoral officers.
The appointment of the newly sworn in Resident Electoral Commissioners was to fill positions that became vacant in Cross River and Taraba states.
The INEC Chairman urged the new RECs to be above board, and firm in the discharge of their responsibilities in the face of certain enticements that
may come their way.
The admonishment is not surprising considering the fact that the Commission has come under a lot of criticism for the conduct of its last
elections
Nonetheless the Commission recognises that it must continue to work tirelessly with the security agencies to ensure that every election is
better than the last.
The new Resident Electoral Commissioners said they are prepared to ensure credible elections are conducted within their areas of jurisdiction.
And despite recent criticisms that trialed the last elections, the Commission expresses its readiness to ensure forthcoming re-run elections
across the country are made as credible as can be achieved.
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