Nigerian Politicians Are Not Democratic - INEC Chairman

The chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, says politicians in Nigeria are not democratic.


Yakubu made the remark at the 5th Northern Traditional Rulers General Assembly in Kaduna, northern Nigeria on Wednesday.
The theme of the assembly was “Pervasive insecurity in an election year”.

Speaking at the event, Yakubu said: “Our politicians are not democratic and that is the reason why some of them keep crossing from one political party to the other.”

The INEC boss also said it is more challenging to conduct an election in a single state than it is to conduct a general election.
Yakubu cited the Osun state September election as an example, adding that there were improvements in the exercise, with voting materials arriving at the polling units on time.

“It is more difficult to conduct election in one state than conducting general election because people will be more focused on the state where the election is taking place,” he said.

The INEC Chairman expressed INEC’s commitment to “credible, free and fair” elections, adding that the commission will continue to improve on its logistics to enable the exercise meet global standards.