Victor EzejaThe increasing cases of security crises in different parts of Nigeria have continued to be a source of worry to concerned stakeholders and the government due to its implication on socio-economic and political activities in the country.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has expressed worry that instability caused by insecurity in the country would pose serious challenge to the conduct of 2023 general elections.
The National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, INEC, Barr. Festus Okoye raised the concern on Thursday at a town hall meeting organised by the Nigerian Guild of Editors in Abuja.
Barr. Okoye said insecurity has led to displacement of many persons from their homes and polling units coupled with them having apparently lost their Permanent Voter Cards.
He said it is a challenge because due to the fact that most of them are no longer within their constituencies, it is impossible for them to have access to voting during elections because section 47(1) of the Electoral Act clearly provides that “A person intending to vote in an election shall present himself with his voter’s card to a Presiding Officer for accreditation at the polling unit in the constituency in which his name is registered.”
“Some of these persons are no longer in their constituencies and can no longer access their polling units and so many of them have lost their Permanent Voters Cards.
“While it is easy to recreate constituencies and polling units in clustered camps of Internally Displaced Persons (IDP camps), it is next to impossibility to do so for persons staying in scattered locations,” Okoye explained.
He, however, said the commission would ensure that those in internally displaced camps are giving opportunity to vote during the election by creating polling units in the camps, enrolling them to get voter cards and be able to vote, in line with section 24(1) of the Electoral Act, which provides that “In the event of an emergency affecting an election, the Commission shall, as far as practicable, ensure that persons displaced as a result of the emergency are not disenfranchised”.
“Based on this, the Commission developed regulations and guidelines on IDP voting and will implement the intendment of the law and the Regulations and Guidelines,” Okoye further stated.
On the ongoing continuous voter registration exercise, the INEC commissioner said, there are so many areas in different parts of the country that are still innaceesible to registration officers even as the commission is already at the “terminal phase” of the exercise.
He disclosed that INEC will in the next few weeks roll out modalities to get more people registered, noting that security of the commission’s personnel and registrants is fundamental to the success of the exercise.
“We are determined to register all eligible registrants but will not expose our staff to unnecessary danger. We will roll out and roll back depending on the security situation in different parts of the country.”
Okoye commended media organisations for their cooperation in the coverage of electoral process, and reminded them of their constitutional responsibility of holding the government and its institutions accountable to the people.
Commenting on the Electoral Act 2022 that was signed into law last week, he said it has progressive provisions and with tight timelines that need careful implementation.
He also noted that the new electoral law contains important provisions allowing deployment of new innovative technologies for registration and accreditation of voters, collation and transmission of election results which according to him, prevents electoral fraud, including other important provisions.
The INEC commissioner stressed the need for media practitioners to have good knowledge of the electoral legal framework to be able to report issue about the electoral system well, and promised that the commission will organise “trainings and workshops for the media on the new issues in the electoral legal framework and practical issues in their implementation.”
“The media must isolate and analyze these provisions and thereafter treat the entire law as a compound package for the conduct of election in Nigeria.
“A good knowledge of the law and its provisions will assist in crafting good editorials and holding the commission and the political parties accountable to their implementation.”
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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