Nigeria’s representative and Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has been elected as the president of ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions. Yakubu garnered 10 votes to defeat Guinea, which received four votes

The Republic of Benin and Guinea Bissau emerged First and Second Vice Presidents respectively, while Burkina Faso clinched the position of Treasurer.

The election followed two days of intensive deliberations on how to deepen the conduct of free, transparent and credible elections and by extension strengthen democracy in the sub-region.

The three-day meeting, which began on March 27 in Cotonou, Republic of Benin and was organized by ECONEC, focused on constitutional and legal frameworks, civic and voter registration, register of voters, electoral logistics, results collation and transmission and technological innovations among others.

Participants discussed the need for member-states to prioritize the production of credible register of voters and consider the application of technological innovations in the electoral process only as a facilitator, rather than a remedy for achieving credible elections. The meeting implored member-states to boost the capacity and training of electoral officials with the overall goal of engendering efficiency in the conduct of free, fair and credible elections across the sub-region.

ECOWAS was established in 1975 to foster economic integration among its member states. From the 1990s however, it expanded its focus to include the pursuit of political integration in the sub-region. And following the review of electoral processes, the Electoral Assistance Division (EAD) was set up within the ECOWAS Commission in 2006 to organise and coordinate the organisation’s electoral support to member states which, ultimately, led to the creation of ECONEC to promote credible elections and good practices among member states. (NAN)