Ondo: Corps members have made remarkable impact on electoral process— INEC Boss

The Resident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Ondo State, Barrister Oluwatoyin Babalola has underscored the invaluable contributions of the members of the service corps to the electoral process in the country.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner during her courtesy call on the NYSC management team in the Sunshine State asserted that the involvement of corps members in electoral system has enhanced the credibility of elections in Nigeria.

"I want to confirm that the synergy between INEC and NYSC has birthed a new belief and strong signal that has restored confidence in our electoral system. The impeccable performance of corps members during the recently concluded bye-election in Akoko North East and North West into the House of Representatives has laid credence to this assertion".

The INEC boss in Ondo State praised the management of the Scheme for raising educated, intelligent, dedicated, disciplined, committed and IT savvy youths who have made a collaboration with NYSC a well thought out progressive and dynamic strategy.

She announced that her office will raise a joint team with the managers of the Scheme in the state to further work on training and retraining of corps members in order to boost their capacity to deliver on the mandate as gubernatorial election is approaching in the state.

"Relationships with NYSC have gone beyond mere friendship between two Federal Government agencies but the one that has become indispensable and inseparable because one must be seen as lending helping hand to the other to achieve the mandate in line with the electoral reforms and the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended".

The legal icon who was instrumental to the drafting of the Memorandum of understanding between INEC and NYSC disclosed that the security and welfare of corps members will remain on the priority list of the electoral body whenever the services of the members of the service corps are sought from NYSC.

Babalola, while promising to build on the good relationship her predecessors in office had with NYSC in the state said that the Scheme will have better story to tell about her tenure.

Responding, the NYSC Ondo State Coordinator, Mrs. Victoria Nnenna Ani thanked the Resident Electoral Commissioner for accepting that corps members as well as NYSC staff play pivotal roles during electoral process in the country.

The State Coordinator however expressed her displeasure about negative impression some INEC staff are having that NYSC has come to take up their job or displace them from their assignments.

"I wish to bring to your notice the unbecoming attitude of some of your staff, especially the Field Officers towards NYSC staff. They have the erroneous impression whenever there is election that NYSC has come to take over or displace them from their job. This is totally untrue as NYSC has come to play a role which is sacrosanct to the success of elections and we shall continue to operate within the ambit of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed with the Commission" she declared.

Ani, in thanking the Commission for offsetting medical bills and taking care of the corps members who had minor accident in the course of performing electoral duties during the bye-election in Akoko North East and North West respectively promised that the Scheme will continue to support the Commission in her bid to entrench credibility in our polls.