BRIEFING BY THE CHAIRMAN, INDEPENDENT NATIONAL ELECTORAL COMMISSION (INEC), PROFESSOR MAHMOOD YAKUBU, ON THE 2019 GENERAL ELECTIONS, INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE CENTRE, ABUJA, TUESDAY 19TH FEBRUARY 2019

National Network February 20, 2019

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1. Last Saturday, the Commission, after extensive review of our preparedness for the 2019 general elections, decided that if was necessary to reschedule the elections by one week. As I explained to stakeholders, we were constrained to shift the polls due to severe challenges and lapses we experienced with arrival and distribution of sensitive materials, as well as the fires that gutted some of our offices in quick succession, destroying several election materials.

2. Once more, let me express our deep and sincere regrets as a Commission for this turn of events. We take full responsibility and we’ acknowledge the inconveniences and cost of the shin in dates to citizens, political parties and the community of election observers. On behalf of the Commission, I thank all stakeholders for their understanding, despite the difficulties occasioned by the change. We are’ working extremely hard to ensure that the rescheduled elections are free, fair-and credible.

3. At my last briefing to stakeholders, I announced an adjusted schedule of activities that would lead to the elections on Saturday 23rd March 2019. In order to actualise the new timetable, we identified 6 activities Covering three broad areas – deployment of materials, movement of personnel and configuration of the Smart Card Readers. Clear timelines were assigned to the activities which will lead to the opening of polls on Saturday.

4. Let me therefore present to you the level of implementation so far achieved as follows:

1. By 4pm yesterday, all issues relating to the delivery of the materials were identified .and virtually addressed. Ballot papers, result sheets and a host of non-sensitive materials: are now in location across the 37 States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

ii. Our State offices commenced the process of inviting stakeholders to the Central Bank of Nigeria to examine the retrieved materials deployed last week and to witness the batching of materials according to Local Government Areas (LGAs). This is ongoing at the moment and is expected to be completed today Tuesday 19th February 2019.

iii. The movement of materials to LGAs for batching according to Wards and Polling Units shall take place on Wednesday 201hand Thursday 21st February 2019.

All Registration Area Centres (RACs) are to be activated by 9.00am on Friday 22nd February 2019.
Personnel and materials should be at the RACs by mid-day on Friday 22nd February 2019.
Refresher training for ad hoc personnel should take place at the RACs on Friday 2200 February 2019.
vii. Personnel and materials must arrive at the Polling Units latest 7am on Saturday 23rd February 2019.

viii. Opening of polls nationwide will take place at Sam on Saturday 23rd February 2019.

5. You would recall that in my address to stakeholders, I mentioned that we intended to reschedule the elections for just 24 hours to enable us to deliver the final batch of sensitive materials for the elections. However, our ICT team notified us that it would require more time to reconfigure the Smart Card Readers in time for the elections. Let me explain why. The Smart Card Readers (SCRs) are configured to only open for use at Sam on election day, and to automatically shut down by 10 pm. This is designed to forestall any illegal use of the SCRs before the appointed time of elections. There are roughly 180,000 SCRs to be deployed for the elections and the ICT team said that they would require 5-6 days to complete the configuration. I am glad to say that as at today, about 98% of the SCRs have
been reconfigured and we are confident that by tomorrow all would be ready, which is a day earlier than scheduled.

6. Following requests by some stakeholders last Saturday and after consultation with political party leaders, the Commission has approved that campaigns by political parties and candidates can resume immediately for the first set of elections. Consequently, campaigns for the Presidential and National Assembly elections shall now end at midnight on Thursday 21st February 2019 while campaigns for the Governorship, State Assembly and FCT Area Council elections shall end at midnight Thursday 7th March 2019. Accordingly, media organizations are at liberty to accept, publish, broadcast and circulate campaign materials until the specified end of campaigns.

7. Preparations for Governorship, State Assembly and FCT Area Council elections are well underway. Already, the sensitive materials for the elections have started arriving- at various locations for onward movement to various Central Bank branches across the country. Indeed, some of these materials arriving through our airports have been erroneously construed by some people as materials for the elections holding this weekend. I want to reassure you all that all materials for the rescheduled Presidential and National Assembly elections next Saturday are already in the States ready for deployment to LGAs, Ward and Polling Units. We have learnt a lesson from the preparations for the elections holding this weekend. For this reason, we shall start the. movement of materials for the next elections early to ensure that nothing disrupts our process.

8. While we fully understand the disappointment and even anger that followed that rescheduling of the elections on 16th February, I wish to appeal to stakeholders to be more dispassionate and circumspect in their comments in order not to overheat the polity. The Commission is focusing on the elections to be held on 23rd February and 9th March 2019 to ensure that they are free, fair and credible. We urge all Nigerians to participate fully in the elections, notwithstanding the disappointment of caused by the rescheduling of dates.

9. On a concluding note, and in the spirit of transparency, we shall be giving daily briefings from today until we formally officially declare the national collation centre open for the tallying of Presidential elections results which will take place here in this hall.

10. Thank you.