The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has affirmed that it will not support any candidate or political party in the forthcoming elections, emphasizing that its sole interest lies in the electoral process itself. INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu made this statement while addressing Supervisory Presiding Officers (SPOs) for the 2023 general election in Abuja, as shown in a video posted on the Commission’s Twitter handle on Sunday. He also called on election officers to maintain neutrality, urging them to view their role not as a service to INEC but as a duty to the nation, where they are equal stakeholders.
“INEC is not a political party. INEC has no candidate in the election. Our commitment is to the process, and we will ensure that the process is what we say it should be so that the choice made by Nigerians determines the outcome,” Yakubu said. He described the work of the SPOs as critical to the success of the 2023 general election and urged them to uphold the integrity of the process.
“You are the people who supervise those who will work at the most important level, the polling‑unit level. That is the only place where voting takes place. The collation officers at the polling‑unit level collate results from the PUs. When they move to the local‑government level, they collate those results, then to the state level, and finally to Abuja, where the presidential result is collated after passing through all these stages. By the time the results reach Abuja, Nigerians will already know the outcome of the election,” he explained. Yakubu added, “Our responsibility is simply to collate.”
He noted that training for election officials is being conducted simultaneously in all states and the Federal Capital Territory. The INEC chief said this training further reassures Nigerians of the Commission’s readiness to conduct elections on February 25 and March 11.
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