AKINWALE ABOLUWADE
The declaration of results of the presidential election will be speedy in a bid to ease tension, the Independent National Electoral Commission has said.
Professor Mahmood Yakubu, INEC Chairman, made the disclosure at a press briefing in Abuja on Friday.
Yakubu said that the Commission would speed up the process of declaring the presidential result to calm down palpable tension.
Although he was not specific on the particular day when the results would be fully made available, he said, “I just want to say that we will ensure that it (the process) will be done speedily.
“I can’t put a finger on the number of days or number of hours it will take, but it will be done speedily. We are aware of the anxiety and the need for us to conclude the process quickly. It will be concluded quickly.”
The INEC chief added that the ongoing cash crunch triggered by the recent naira swap policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria would not hinder the exercise.
“It is not all our operations that are paid for by cash. In fact, the bulk of our procurement for both goods and services is done electronically.
“We need a small amount of money to pay for the unbanked who render critical services, particularly at the local level.
“We anticipated this challenge and interacted with the Central Bank; they promised us that the little amount we need to pay for services in cash, they will make the funds available to us and they have done so.
“These funds have already been accessed by our state offices for elections, which is why the movement of personnel and materials in the last couple of days has gone unhindered.
“I must give credit for our relationship with the Central Bank in that regard. The process won’t suffer any encumbrance as a result,” he concluded.
