Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has been elected President of the ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions (ECONEC).
Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman, Mr Rotimi Oyekanmi, in a statement on Wednesday, said that Yakubu won the election after a close contest in Cotonou, Republic of Benin where it was held.
Prof. Yakubu polled 10 votes to defeat his Guinean counterpart who polled four votes.
The election began with a two-day meeting of ECOWAS electoral chairmen on March 27 on how to strengthen democracy in the region. The election, which was held on March 29, also saw the emergence of the Republic of Benin and Guinea Bissau candidates as the first and second vice presidents of ECONEC, while Burkina Faso’s candidate fills the slot for the treasurer.
“It focused on constitutional and legal frameworks, civic and voter registration, register of voters, electoral logistics, results collation and transmission and technological innovations among others,” Oyekanmi said.
Oyekanmi also noted that the representatives from the region deliberated on how to ensure voter credibility in elections.
“The meeting implored member states to boost the capacity and training of electoral officials with the overall goal of engendering efficiency in the conduct of free, fair and credible elections across the sub-region.
“Besides, the meeting called on security agencies across the member countries to always remain neutral and respect the rights of citizens in the discharge of their sacred duty of safeguarding electoral processes.
“The participants also called on member states to recognise the contributions of key stakeholders and continually engage them to deepen confidence and trust in the electoral processes.’’