Few weeks to this year’s general elections, The Electoral Hub, with support from DAI/EU-SDGN, has launched the Electoral Volunteer Information Centre (EVIC) in the FCT, Kano and Lagos states for civic engagement and education.
The Director of IRIAD-The Electoral Hub, Princess Hamman-Obels, who disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja, said the intervention was in furtherance of engaging citizens and mobilising voters for elections and deepening citizens’ engagement to ensure electoral integrity.
She explained that the objectives of EVIC included bringing electoral information close to the electorate/public/citizens, assisting citizens to know their PVC status and collection points, sensitising citizens about their Polling Unit (PU) locations and access, improving knowledge and understanding of the electoral process and procedures, INEC’s new technology and promoting women, youths and PWDs’ participation in the electoral process.
She noted that electoral periods, particularly in Nigeria, had always been volatile and had been surrounded by misconceptions and political apathy, adding that misinformation and disinformation had been the order of the day as politicians had adopted it as a means of sabotaging
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“The purpose of establishing EVIC is to raise the level of involvement of the electorate in the electoral process, by improving their knowledge and understanding of INEC’s policies, procedures, and technology through voter education, expanding inclusivity and thereby promoting overall participation in the electoral process.
“We believe this will help to curb electoral illiteracy ahead of the 2023 general election as individuals would be enlightened on the correct information about the election. Due to these concerns and in line with The Electoral Hub’s commitment to promoting electoral knowledge, accountability, and integrity, the EVIC was conceived to breach the knowledge gap amongst the electorate about the electoral process.
“Forty EVICs have been deployed across three locations, namely the FCT, and Kano and Lagos states. There are EVICs in all area councils of the FCT.
“Similarly, there are EVICs in six LGAs each in Kano and Lagos states. The EVICs operate Mondays to Sundays and will run till the eve of the presidential election.”
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