Politics
A civil society, Yiaga Africa, has described tomorrow’s election as an opportunity for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to build citizens’ confidence and gain the trust of Nigerians ahead of the 2023 general elections.
The organisation noted that the poll provides an opportunity for election stakeholders to build on the marked improvement and relative success of the Ekiti governorship elections.
A statement by the Executive Director, Samson Itodo, and a Board Member Ezenwa Nwagwu, reads: “Tomrrow’s election provides an opportunity for election stakeholders to build on the marked improvement and relative success of the Ekiti governorship elections.
“However, with a different political and security terrain, the election will test the resolve of election stakeholders, especially INEC and security agencies to conduct credible, transparent, inclusive, peaceful and conclusive elections amidst a tense atmosphere.
“Being the last major election before the 2023 general elections, tomorrow’s polls is an opportunity for INEC to build citizens’ confidence and gain the trust of Nigerians. Thus, it is crucial that the logistics and technology employed function optimally.
“While INEC has expressed confidence in the state of its preparedness, Yiaga Africa urges the commission not to overestimate its capacity nor underestimate potential challenges that could undermine the election. The voters in Osun and Yiaga Africa expect that INEC and security agencies will deliver credible, peaceful and conclusive elections bereft of challenges of election logistics, technological failures, inconsistent application of electoral laws and guidelines, electoral violence and vote-buying.”
The group also raised concerns of inadequate information on allocation and imbalance in the distribution of voters to polling units.
Itodo, who addressed a news conference yesterday in Osogbo, noted that the inadequate information about the relocation of some new polling units can potentially disenfranchise voters who may be unable to locate their polling units.
He siad: “Despite the creation of additional polling units, there are oversized units with registered voters above the threshold of 750 registered voters. Osun State has 246 polling units with over 1,000 registered voters, eight polling units with over 2,000 registered voters, and one polling unit with over 3,000 registered voters. Oversized polling units may pose a logistics challenge on election day. It is imperative for INEC to revisit the expansion of voter access to polling units in order to achieve the desired outcome of the creation of new polling units.”
-The Nation
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Tags: INEC YIAGA
