Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has expressed INEC’s willingness to share ideas and experience with the Cameroonian Election Management Body, ElectionsCameroon (ELECAM), in terms of Voter Registration, Voter Cards Distribution and Voter Education.
The INEC Chairman made the disclosure today (Tuesday 20th December, 2016) when a delegation from ELECAM led by an Assistant Director in the Commission, Mewoand Hugues Erick, visited the headquarters of INEC in Abuja.
The INEC Chairman expressed delight that INEC had played host to a number of Election Management Bodies from other countries in the last one year, an indication that Nigeria’s electoral system and processes were being appreciated internationally.
He averred that: “we have the largest biometric voter register in the whole of Africa and one of the largest in the world. We have about 70 million registered voters. Our own presidential democracy is only second to the United States in terms of size. We will be very happy therefore to share our experiences in terms of voter registration, the cleaning up of the voter registry and the deployment of the biometric voter register”.
He explained that in 2015, INEC went completely electronic by deploying an electronic register with electronic voter cards which were compatible with the Smart Card Reader (SCR). These, he said, added value to the integrity of the process.
“Be rest assured that you have a friend and partner in INEC, we will support ELECAM in the interest of democracy across our continent. We will continue to work towards strengthening our democracy but our democracy should also be of help to democracies everywhere especially in our own continent,” he said.
Earlier, the leader of the delegation, Mewoand Hugues Erick, explained their visit was aimed at sharing information and experience with INEC, especially in preparation for their country’s forthcoming Presidential Election in 2018.
He listed a few technical areas where INEC’s wealth of experience would be of immense help to Cameroon’s preparation for the conduct of its presidential election.
Mr. Erick requested for experience sharing in terms of Voter Registration, Distribution of Voter Cards, and Voter Education towards achieving maximum voter participation in the electoral process.
