In an apparent manner of tackling challenges and tasks of the commission, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has carried out a major shake-up ahead of the 2023 general elections.
The commission, in a statement signed by National Commissioner and Chairman Information and Voter Education Committee, Barr Festus Okoye, announced the redeployment of five Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) and four directors, just as the Director (Voter Education and Publicity), Nick Dazang, has proceeded on terminal leave.
Although the commission did not give explicit reasons for the shakeup, it noted in the statement that it was merely part of the Commission’s routine administrative postings.
The names of the affected commissioners and directors, according to the statement, include the RECs for Osun State, Olusegun Agbaje, redeployed to Ogun State, his Ogun counterpart, Prof AbdulGaniy Olayinka Raji, who takes charge as REC Osun State.
Others are Bayelsa State REC, Dr Cyril Omorogbe, who takes up his new role in Cross River State, Dr Emannuel Alex Hart will proceed to Bayelsa State as the REC from his former Cross River office, while Zamfara State REC, Dr Asmau Sani Maikudi, has been redeployed to Kaduna State.
In the directorate cadre, the commission re-assigned Victor Ayodele Aluko as Director (Administration) to Voter Education and Publicity; Mikah Thabbal Lakumna is redeployed to Administration from his erstwhile position as Director (Security), while Nduh Lebari Samson moves from the office of the Secretary to the Commission to Director (Security) just as Yakubu Mohammed Duku, Director Electoral Operations Department, proceeds to Niger State as the substantive Administrative Secretary.
Entitled ‘redeployment of five RECs and four Directors, the statement read: “INEC has redeployed five RECs. In the new postings, the REC, Osun State, Olusegun Agbaje, has been redeployed to Ogun State. At the same time, his counterpart in Ogun State, Prof AbdulGaniy Olayinka Raji, will take charge as REC, Osun State.
“In the same vein, the REC, Bayelsa State, Dr Cyril Omorogbe, will take up his new role as the REC for Cross River State, while Dr Emmanuel Alex Hart proceeds to Bayelsa State as the REC from his former office in Cross River State. The REC, Zamfara State, Dr Asmau Sani Maikudi, has also been redeployed to Kaduna State.
“Similarly, the Director (Voter Education and Publicity), Nick Dazang, has proceeded on terminal leave. Consequently, Victor Ayodele Aluko has been reassigned from Director (Administration) to Voter Education and Publicity as Director, while Mikah Thabbal Lakumna is redeployed to Administration from his erstwhile position as Director (Security).
”Nduh Lebari Samson moves from the office of the Secretary to the Commission to Director (Security) Yakubu Mohammed Duku, Director in the Electoral Operations Department, proceeds to Niger State as the substantive Administrative Secretary.
”The handing/taking over activities should be completed by Monday, September 13, 2021. The redeployments are part of the Commission’s routine administrative postings,” the statement read.
