Sensitive election materials for the forthcoming Ekiti Governorship election will not be kept with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as a result of the recent declaration of political interest by Mr Godwin Emefiele, governor of the Bank.
This disclosure was made on Saturday by the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu.
Emefiele made a bid to run for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primary but later shelved the idea after President Muhammadu Buhari issued an ultimatum to ministers and other top cabinet members interested in the race to resign their appointments.
Emefiele’s open display of partisanship has however raised questions about the safety of sensitive election materials which were normally kept in the custody of CBN by INEC for distribution to voting centres on election days.
At the Forum organized by “The Electorate” on Saturday, 4thday of June 2022 at the Shehu Musa Yar Adua Center, the Chairman of the Commission was asked about the warehousing of election materials with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in view of the issues surrounding Emefiele’s declared political interest.
Yakubu acknowledged the concerns raised by citizens relating to the issue considering the sensitive nature of election materials and the need for trust and confidence in the electoral process. He stated that in respect of the Ekiti Governorship election holding on the 18th day of June, 2022, the Commission will deliver all the sensitive materials meant for the election directly to INEC’s office in Ado-Ekiti and distributed to the 16 Local Government Areas of the State.
He stated further that the Commission was looking at the same situation with regard to the Osun Governorship election holding on the 16th day of June 2022. However, the direct delivery of the sensitive materials to Ekiti and Osun are interim measure pending further discussions with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) ahead of the 2023 General Election. The Chairman commended the handling of materials by CBN since the collaboration started as there has not been a single incident of failure in that regard.