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–Pix(above): INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu
The worsening insecurity in parts of the country may necessitate the shifting of the 2023 general elections, to ensure the safety of lives and property, as well as free and fair polls, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has hinted.
Speaking in Abuja, Monday, INEC said elections may be shifted particularly in flashpoints, if the worsening insecurity situation does not abate.
The Commission warned that the results of the 2023 polls may not be declared if elections are cancelled in many constituencies as a result of worsening insecurity.
It did not, however, mention the areas where polls may not hold as scheduled.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, while speaking at the validation of election security training resources in Abuja, observed that next month’s election faces serious threat of cancellation if the security situation across the country fails to improve.
Yakubu, who was represented by the Chairman, Board of Electoral Institute, Abdullahi Zuru, said: “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 declaration of elections results and precipitate constitutional crisis.”
The Commission, however, assured that it is not leaving any stone unturned in ensuring that intensive and extensive security are provided for election personnel, materials and processes, adding that, “we all appreciate the fact that election security is vital to democratic consolidation through the provision of enabling environment for the conduct of free, fair, credible and inclusive elections and thus strengthening the electoral process.
“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 members constitute the core of the Polling Unit Election officials.
“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.”
Recall that attacks on the Commission’s offices, personnel and other critical facilities, have assumed a critical dimension, especially in the Southeastern part of the country.
In Imo, Enugu and Ebonyi states, vicious attacks on INEC offices had resulted in razing down of vital infrastructure of the electoral umpire in which lives and critical materials were utterly destroyed by invading gunmen and hoodlums.
“The attacks seem to be more prevalent in Imo State, where four offices, including the state headquarters, were attacked by gunmen in less than three weeks.
“In the attack on the Commission’s headquarters in Owerri, the Imo State capital, three of the hoodlums and one police officer were killed,” INEC recounted, adding that “three days after the Owerri attack, another INEC office was razed by gunmen in Orlu Local Government Area of the state.”
Earlier in late 2022, INEC spokesman, Festus Okoye, had recounted dastardly attacks on the commission’s offices in Ogun and Osun States in the wee hours of the day, resulting in loss of vital infrastructure and electoral materials.
He said: “In Abeokuta South Local Government Area of Ogun State, 65,000 Permanent Voters Card (PVC) were destroyed when INEC office was set ablaze by armed thugs.
“The incident occurred around 1.15am when some unidentified persons overpowered the security personnel on duty and set the entire building ablaze.
“The main building and all the commission’s movable assets in the office were destroyed. They include 904 ballot boxes, 29 voting cubicles, 30 megaphones, 57 election bags, 8 electric power generators and 65,699 uncollected permanent voters cards (PVCs),” he said.
Going further, Okoye said: “Similarly, the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Osun State, Dr. Mutiu Agboke, reported that our office in Ede South Local Government Area of the state was attacked and set ablaze.
“The incident occurred in the early hours of that morning when some unidentified persons attacked the building and set a portion of it ablaze.
“Fortunately, the damage to our Ede South Local Government office was limited to a section of the building and only some furniture items were destroyed,” he volunteered./SHARE THIS
–Tags: Mahmood Yakubu, Abdullahi Zuru, Festus Okoye, INEC