The current President of ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions (ECONEC) and Chairman (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu has described the establishment of ECONEC as a mechanism for strengthening inter-agency co-operation and promotion of credible elections in the West African Sub-region.
Professor Yakubu made the statement at a press briefing shortly after an official session of the Body in Abuja, yesterday.
The ECONEC President said the 15-member Body was established in March 2008 to assist member-states in areas of elections and electoral duties.
The President hinted that already ECONEC had identified the deployment of modern technology (IT), logistics and the cost of elections as some of the major concerns of the member-states.
Professor Yakubu said the Body was working towards providing cost effective solutions to conducting free, fair and credible elections adding that “bad election leads to conflicts” which must be avoided.
ECONEC, according to Professor Yakubu was strategically positioned to avert conflicts that would eliminate the use of force, noting that “It is better to deploy ECONEC than to deploy ECOMOG”.
Professor Yakubu who said ECONEC was working to deepen the cause of elections and democracy in the sub-region also hinted that some members of the Body would visit Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea-Bissau over the weekend in connection with the upcoming elections in those countries.
Speaking on the funding of the Body whose permanent secretariat is now in Abuja, Professor Yakubu explained that no member country would be solely responsible for providing funds to run the Body, instead “all member-countries will contribute equally regardless of size or resources of the country.”
Professor Yakubu added that the sitting of the Administrative Secretariat of the Body in Abuja “would facilitate easier communication with the ECOWAS Secretariat which is also in Abuja”.
