Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, says no electoral process is perfect globally.
Yakubu spoke at the opening of the post-2019 elections review meeting in Abuja where about 380 electoral officers (EO) from 19 states across the country reportedly attended the programme.
The INEC chairman posited that criticism would improve the electoral process, urged the electoral officers to come up with suggestions that could assist the commission in its performance in the future.
“No democracy, no electoral process is perfect globally. Every democracy is work-in-progress. So, feel free to suggest, advice on all issues relating to the conduct of elections, on the whole gamut. And, you have the protection of the chairman that whatever you say will not be held against you,” Yakubu said.
“Criticisms on the elections would help to improve the country’s electoral process. Please, feel free to advise the commission. Where we need to be criticized or criticize ourselves, please do so. I consistently say that friends will criticize you, but your enemies will condemn you. But criticism is the basis to make any system work.
“Anything that anybody can say about the conduct of elections in Nigeria is secondary to the kind of information we are going to hear from those who truly conduct elections at levels that matter -the polling units.”
The European Union Election Observation Mission to Nigeria had highlighted some of the challenges of the 2019 general election, saying there were areas were improvements were recorded compared to 2015.
