Nasiru Yusuf

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has on Monday kicked off a workshop on Strategic Communications and Operationalization of the Communication Policy in Kano.

KANO FOCUS reports that the workshop was attended by commission’s heads of voter education and publicity departments from 19 Northern states.

Speaking at the occasion, the INEC National Commissioner, Information and Voter Education, Festus Okoye called on heads of security agencies to address all forms of security threats bedeviling the country to avail Nigerians opportunity to exercise their civic responsibility in next year’s general election.

Okoye hinted that plan is underway by the commission to meet with the heads of security agencies to review security situations in the country ahead of 2023 election.

According to him, “As we move closer to the 2023 general election, all the critical stakeholders and the security agencies must resolve to degrade and or neutralize the security threats across the federation. Our people must be assured that they can vote in a peaceful atmosphere.

“The Chairman of the Commission has pointed out and consistently emphasized that the current level of insecurity in the country remains the greatest and most potent threat to the conduct of free, fair and transparent elections in the country. As some of you are aware, the CVR is taking place only in the 37 State and 774 Local Government Offices of the Commission.

“The Commission intends to devolve the CVR to 2, 673 locations as against the current 811 locations. Our inability to actualize this is on account of the security situation in most states of the Federation.

“Presently, there are two vacancies in the Zamfara State House of Assembly and one in the Kaduna State House of Assembly. The vacancy for Shinkafi State Constituency has been declared while that of Gusau 1 State Constituency of Zamfara State and Giwa State Constituency has not been declared.

“The Commission is reviewing the security situation in the constituencies where these vacancies occurred and will take appropriate decision at the appropriate time.

“The Chairman of the Commission and the Commission will meet with the heads of the nation’s security agencies and review the security situation in the country and determine further deployment and devolution of the CVR on a roll out, roll back procedure,” Okoye stated.

On party primaries, the National Commissioner warned the political parties against conducting the primaries not in conformity with the dictates of the Constitution, the Electoral Act and the Timetable and Schedule of Activities of the Commission.

“Political parties are reminded that they must conduct valid primaries, in the venue chosen by them and communicated to the Commission.

“The primaries must take place in the constituency where the election will take place and on the day indicated in their letter to the Commission and using the mode of primaries voluntarily chosen by them,” he said.

Okoye however urged the VEPs and POAs to embark on aggressive campaigns against multiple and double Continuous Voter Registration Exercise.

“As Heads of Department and Public Affairs Officers, you must assist in educating Nigerians on the importance of the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration Exercise. You must carry out aggressive and sustained campaign against multiple and double registration. As a Commission we must design measures and strategies to halt the dangerous descent to double and multiple registrations going on in most states of the Federation.

“Those that engage in “trucking”, “storage” of Permanent Voters Cards and corruption of the electoral process must realize that the Commission has a robust cleanup process that detects multiple and double registrants. Double or multiple registration whether innocently done or not is a violation of the law that attracts sanctions,” the National Commissioner,”Okoye said.

In his remarks, the Project Coordinator of ECES-Nigeria, Hamza Fassi-Fihri charged the INEC staff on the need to display commitment of high ethical standards and professionalism in the discharge of their duties.

Earlier, INEC Voter Education Director, Ayo Aluko said the workshop was part of the commission’s cardinal principle to ensure continous capacity building for it staff in order to keep them abreast of the task ahead during the 2023 general elections.

The two-day workshop was facilitated by the European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES-Nigeria).