The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has said that the country must get local government elections right.

He said this would help to strengthen the country’s electoral processes.

Yakubu spoke in Abuja on Wednesday when the management of Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission, led by its Chairman, Dr. Binta Dikko-Audu, paid him a courtesy call in his office.

Yakubu said INEC was ready to support state electoral bodies in conducting credible elections at the state and local government levels.


 
He said that it was only when the states were committed to free fair and credible elections that country’s electoral processes would continue be consolidated on.

He commended Kaduna SIEC for considering the use of technology in its forthcoming local government elections in the state.

Yakubu said, “You have taken a bold step by agreeing to use the technology that has changed elections in Nigeria, believing that the technology will also change local government elections, not only in Kaduna State, but in Nigeria.

“We need to get the local government elections right just in the same way as we have gotten the national elections right and we should continue to strengthen the processes and the procedures.

“So, anything that INEC can do to add value to local government elections, I assure you that INEC will do so.”

He promised that INEC would provide the necessary support to Kaduna SIEC towards the state’s election as requested by its Chairman.

“We will be very happy to support the Kaduna SIEC, we believe that the card reader has revolutionarised our elections and the standard INEC has attained is replicated at the state level,” he said.