• Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • Home
Monday, May 16, 2022
  • Login
METROWATCHonline
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Security
  • Defence
  • Crime
    • Vigilante
    • Kidnapping
    • Thuggery
    • Touts
  • Defence
    • Terrorism
    • Banditry
    • Smuggling
    • Oil Theft
  • NDLEA
  • EFCC
  • ICPC
  • World
  • Home
  • News
  • Security
  • Defence
  • Crime
    • Vigilante
    • Kidnapping
    • Thuggery
    • Touts
  • Defence
    • Terrorism
    • Banditry
    • Smuggling
    • Oil Theft
  • NDLEA
  • EFCC
  • ICPC
  • World
No Result
View All Result
METROWATCHonline
Home World

Peaceful Conduct of Sierra Leone Polls Excites INEC

ayothisday by ayothisday
March 9, 2018
in World
0

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Friday  said it was satisfied with the peaceful conduct of  Wednesday’s elections in Sierra Leone.

A National Commissioner in the commission, Prof. Anthonia Simbine, who led the commission’s delegation to Sierra Leone to monitor the elections, commended the measures put in place  by the National Electoral Commission (NEC) of Serial Leone.

In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Freetown,  Simbine said the process of the election put in place by the NEC, the patience and peaceful conduct of Sierra Leoneans during the election day was commendable.

“I think the election has gone well. Honestly. I am aware that you cannot have an election that will not have minor issues here and there.

“But if you compare where they were a few month back, few weeks back, even the anxiety that attended the preparations for the elections, I think the election went smoothly.The most important thing for me is patience.

“I think when we got to the polls, there were very long queues, but in few places election officers arrived late to the polling centres but in many of the places they were actually there and they were setting up.

“ Many of them started, five or 10 minutes after the scheduled, which was 7 a.m. So they were on time.

“The surprising part of it was that even before 7 a.m. the queue were already long but the citizens were very patient . I think that is what any country can learn from their example,’’ Simbine said.

Asked if INEC was looking forward to emulate Sierra Leonean style where registered voters without his voting card were allowed to cast their votes with other means of identification, Simbine said the process in the two countries were different.

The National Commissioner said that Nigeria already gone beyond manual accreditation of voters to use of technology which include Smart Card Readers and Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).

“In the Sierra Leonean case it is possible to do what they have done; as long as you can be identified by some people or you use your other identity card, because it is manual.

“The truth is that you saw that they are not using biometric, we have gone ahead, we are now using biometric, the smart card readers.

“Without permanent voter cards and the card readers, we have already decided that we will not allow for voting. People cannot use whatever identification they have with the smart card reader.’’

She also commended the special arrangement made for special voters: the aged physically challenged and lactation mothers, whereby special voting line was created for them.

She said that INEC was already doing something similar but in different ways, saying INEC also allowed that.

“It is just that unlike here, we don’t have a separate queue for these categories of people.

“But we have trained our poll observers to know that whenever they see people like that they should give them the opportunity to vote first. We have already key into that.’’

On possibility of voting by military and people on essential duties on election date, Simbine said that was not easy to do now in Nigeria.

“Certainly people who are week, either they are old, physically challenged, or nursing mothers, we actually give them priority.’’

The National Commissioner said that experience from learn from the elections would in one way or the other be useful in the preparations and conduct of Nigeria 2019 general elections.

“There is no experience that will not be useful but to a large extent I think the processes are a bit different particularly in the use of biometric and smart card readers.

“However, with regards to many other things, delivery of sensitive and not sensitive materials, the hearing of polls officers I think we have a lot to learn from these elections.’’

Other members of INEC delegation were National Commissioner, AVM Mohamed Muazu; Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr Asmau Maikudi; Director of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), Mrs Ngozi Ogwuma and Electoral Officer and Deputy Director Charles Ibiapuye.

NAN reports that the NEC on Thursday issued an official statement stressing that ‘Data entry is underway and accuracy will take precedence over speed.’

The NEC statement, signed by Chairman Mohamed Alie-Conteh also reiterated that it was the constitutionally mandated body that is responsible to deliver election results and is the only authority in doing so.

The electoral body called for patience and continued commitment to peace as it continued to receive results and tabulate them. 

(NAN))

READ ALSO

Gen Maikano, Others in Peru for Military Sports Confab

UN Sec-Gen Gutteres Urges Buhari to Prosecute Terrorists

UN Sec-Gen: The Borno I Found Today is Borno of Hope

ShareSendTweetShare
Previous Post

U.S. Offers $5m Bounty for Pakistani Taliban Chief

Next Post

Even the Blind Can See Your Achievements, African Parliamentarians Tell Dickson

Related Posts

Gen Maikano, Others in Peru for Military Sports Confab
Sports

Gen Maikano, Others in Peru for Military Sports Confab

May 6, 2022
UN Sec-Gen Gutteres Urges Buhari to Prosecute Terrorists
Terrorism

UN Sec-Gen Gutteres Urges Buhari to Prosecute Terrorists

May 4, 2022
UN Sec-Gen: The Borno I Found Today is Borno of Hope
World

UN Sec-Gen: The Borno I Found Today is Borno of Hope

May 4, 2022
DRC Helicopter Crash: UN Confirms Death of 8 Peacekeepers
Defence

DRC Helicopter Crash: UN Confirms Death of 8 Peacekeepers

April 20, 2022
Next Post

Even the Blind Can See Your Achievements, African Parliamentarians Tell Dickson

Latest News

Gen SK Usman, AANI Spokesman, Delivers Keynote Address at Book Launch

Gen SK Usman, AANI Spokesman, Delivers Keynote Address at Book Launch

May 14, 2022
Deborah: Tambuwal Slams 24-hours Curfew on Sokoto as Sultan’s Palace Comes under Siege

Deborah: Tambuwal Slams 24-hours Curfew on Sokoto as Sultan’s Palace Comes under Siege

May 14, 2022
Alleged Blasphemy: Police Nab Suspects over Lynching of Female Student in Sokoto

Alleged Blasphemy: Police Nab Suspects over Lynching of Female Student in Sokoto

May 12, 2022
Buhari Govt Says Nigeria is Winning War against Insecurity

Buhari Govt Says Nigeria is Winning War against Insecurity

May 12, 2022

ABOUT US

METROWATCH is a daily online newspaper published by MIRACULOUS MEDIA CONNECT LTD. It is largely intelligence-focused news medium that captures all security and crime-related stories around the world, but with more emphasis on Nigeria.

  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • Home

© 2022 Metrowatch Nigeria

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Security
  • Defence
  • Crime
    • Vigilante
    • Kidnapping
    • Thuggery
    • Touts
  • Defence
    • Terrorism
    • Banditry
    • Smuggling
    • Oil Theft
  • NDLEA
  • EFCC
  • ICPC
  • World

© 2022 Metrowatch Nigeria

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
Go to mobile version