INEC Should Be Prepared For New Challenges In 2019- Bisi Yusuff

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been advised to be ready to face new challenges as the 2019 General Elections are fast approaching.

Making this call is a lawmaker in the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Adebisi Yusuff, who added that efforts should be made to make the elections free and fair.

“INEC should be prepared to face new challenges. The elections would be interesting and memorable. Talking about card readers, I don’t think there is an alternative to them, but they should be updated regularly,” he said.

Yusuff, representing Alimosho Constituency 1 in the Assembly, however spoke against the registration of new political parties by INEC.

According to him, some parties that were registered in the past could not produce even a councilor, adding that if they register 1000 political parties, some of them would be dead on arrival.

The lawmaker, who is the Acting Chairman of the Adhoc Committee on Public Accounts (Local) said that the electorates would identify the real parties, when the time comes.

On the various issues in Nigeria that could pose challenges to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the politician stated that the party would survive them.

He added that the current government is better than the past, and that the government has achieved much within three years that they got to office.

“The Federal Government cannot be taken in isolation, you have to consider the state governments. it is when you add all these together that you can now judge.

“Look at the monumental achievements of the government of Lagos and Osun States. People don’t appreciate it, when you are there.

“Look at their achievements in the area of employment creation, agriculture and infrastructural development.

“Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has achieved a lot in Lagos State, same goes for Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State.

“It is when people are using a negative side of propaganda to attack you that you will have the kind of reports coming out about Osun State.

“If you go to Oshogbo, even by 3am you would still see people in the Freedom Park. It is almost 24 hour economy.

“Go to the rural areas in Osun State and see what is happening in both agriculture and the education sectors, you would marvel,” he said.

Bisi Yusuff added that it is normal to see different kinds of rat race as the 2019 elections are fast approaching.

He stressed that there would be a lot of blackmailing, backstabbing creation of a lot of stories, where there are no stories.

He said: “They would create make-believe stories to tarnish the image of their rivals. Instead of issue based campaign, it would now be campaign against one another. I want to advise the people that they should not attack one another.

“Those who want to re-contest elections should not abandon their responsibilities for campaigns.

“This is the best time for them to work and serve the people that gave them the mandate to serve. If they do otherwise, it is worse than armed robbery.”

Yusuff said further that it would be wrong for public office holders to abandon the people, when they have not finished what they were voted to do.

He emphasised that people were becoming wiser, and that it is now one would see members of the National Assembly that would be going back home to deceive people.

While advising against money politics, the lawmaker explained that Nigerians were getting wiser and sophisticated, saying that if anyone gives them money they would collect it and they would not vote for him or her.

On the menace of Fulani herdsmen in the country, he advised the security agencies to use their intelligence network to unravel the problem.

“It is not about the President, we have different departments. We have structures, I believe that it is another penetration of Book Haram into the system.

“I saw a video, where they were maltreating people in such a way that animals could not bite themselves like that.

“The kind of arms they carry cannot be carried by Fulani herdsmen. My advice is that the Federal Government should wake up.

“The security agents such as DSS, Police, Army and others should so something quickly.

“The most ridiculous is the statement by Ghanian President urging his people to kill stray cows and that Ghana is not Nigeria,” he stated.