INEC Boss, Mahmood urges African youths to champion peaceful, credible elections

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has urged African youths to actively participate in electoral processes while promoting peaceful and credible elections across the continent.

Yakubu made the call on Tuesday, April 15, while delivering a lecture at the Civil Service University in the Republic of The Gambia.

The lecture, titled “Democracy and Peaceful Elections in West Africa,” was addressed to students of International Affairs and Diplomacy as well as those studying Peace and Conflict Studies.

He underscored the vital role of youths in the democratic process, pointing out that they constitute the largest demographic of voters and are also central to the operations of Election Management Bodies (EMBs).

The message was shared via a statement posted on INEC’s official X handle on Wednesday, April 16.

The statement partly reads:

“The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has called on African youths to take the centre stage in promoting peaceful and credible elections across the continent. He also urged them to actively engage in the electoral process with a positive mindset, shun electoral malpractices, and uphold democratic values.

“Prof. Yakubu made the call on Tuesday, April 15, while delivering a lecture on “Democracy and Peaceful Elections in West Africa” to students of International Affairs and Diplomacy and those of Peace and Conflict Studies at the Civil Service University in the Republic of The Gambia, where he was a guest of the University.

“Highlighting the indispensable role of young people in the electoral processes, the INEC Chairman noted that elections in Africa cannot succeed without youth participation.

“ ‘Young people form the backbone of election duty staff’, he said, pointing out that Election Management Bodies (EMBs) lack the manpower to conduct elections without recruiting youths as temporary or ad hoc staff.

“Beyond logistics and staffing, he emphasized that youths also make up the largest segment of the voting population. His words: “Before the elections, they are involved in voter registration, one of the most critical stages of the electoral cycle. It is a duty that must be undertaken with sincerity, patriotism, and a sense of responsibility.”

“In a passionate appeal, Prof. Yakubu urged the youths to be upright and law-abiding. He said: ‘If you want peaceful elections, play your part for God and country. Do the right thing. Obey the laws and regulations. That’s how we make every vote count.”He also drew attention to the role of youths as political party agents, cautioning against misrepresenting facts or feeding political stakeholders with false information which, he warned, could trigger violence and undermine public trust in the process’.”[CONTINUE READING HERE]>>>>>