The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has warned that this year’s general election faces a serious threat of cancellation if the waves of insecurity in parts of the country fail to improve.
Daily Trust reports that there have been a series of attacks on INEC’s offices and facilities, especially in South East geopolitical zone.
The INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, represented by the chairman of the Board of Electoral Institute (BEI), Prof. Abdullahi Abdu Zuru, gave the warning on Monday in Abuja at the Validation of Election Security Training Resources.
“We all appreciate the fact that election security is vital to democratic consolidation through the provision of an enabling environment for the conduct of free, fair, credible and inclusive elections and thus strengthening the electoral process.
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“Consequently, in preparations for the 2023 general elections, the commission is not leaving anything to chance in ensuring that intensive and extensive security is provided for election personnel, materials and processes.
“This is particularly significant to the commission given the current insecurity challenges in various parts of the country and the fact that the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members constitute the core of the polling unit election officials.
“Moreover, if the insecurity is not monitored and dealt with decisively, it could ultimately culminate in the cancellation and/or postponement of elections in sufficient constituencies to hinder the declaration of election results and precipitate a constitutional crisis. This must not be allowed to happen and shall not be allowed to happen.
“Therefore, security personnel in particular and all election officials, in general, must be security conscious and alert to unusual activities in their environment, and must be fully equipped to deal with any challenge at all times,” he said.
According to him, to this end, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Gen. Mohammed Babagana Monguno (rtd), and the Chairman, INEC have jointly assured the nation that a conducive environment will be provided for the successful conduct of the 2023 general elections.
In his goodwill message, the Country Director, International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), Seray Jah, said the training of security personnel to be deployed for the poll is the antidote to peaceful elections.
