Ekiti – The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Ekiti State said it will deliver a governorship election that would meet the international best practices on June 18 in the state.
The INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr Adeniran Tella, gave the assurances at the commission’s Implementation Meeting on Voter Enlightenment and Publicity for Ekiti Governorship Election in Ado-Ekiti on Monday, April 25.
According to him, the meeting is a clear indication of the determination of the Commission to conduct a free, fair and acceptable governorship election in Ekiti State.
“He who fails to plan is planning to fail. The Commission, in its effort to meet the international best practices has consistently demonstrated its commitment to develop and sustain structures that support its deepening of democratic practices.
“The feats achieved in Anambra and FCT elections are better testimonies to the above assertion.
“It is also my aim to see that the bar of standard election achieved by the commission so far is raised higher to the extent of making it a record to beat in subsequent elections to be conducted in future, including the 2023 general elections,” he said.
According to him, the state has 16 local government areas, 117 Registration Areas (Wards), and 2,445 polling units, adding that 16 political parties will take part in the election.
Tella expressed the hope that the Implementation Committee members would impact considerably on the conduct of the election.
Speaking , Prof. Christopher Oluwadare, the Chairman, Coalition of Ekiti State Civil Society Organisation (COECSO) said that CSOs had served significantly to deliver election messages to the community audience and at the same time provide feedbacks to INEC Voter Education and Publicity and CSO desk officer in Ekiti.
Oluwadare said that CSOs had also been engaged in capacity building programmes to respond to hate speech, electoral violence and security flashpoints organised by Search for Common Ground (SfCG), Abuja.
He said that CSOs and journalists covering the electoral process and activities must show neutrality.
Oluwadare said that observers should be regulated in order to identify and remove impostors.
“Since INEC is statutorily responsible for security operations, over-loaded security presence in off cycle election like the one of Ekiti has the tendency to portend low voters turnout due to pervasive fear of insecurity by registered electorate,” the chairman added.
He called for thorough training of election personnel, especially those who will handle the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) to forestall machine mal-handling.
On the menace of vote selling and buying in whatever guise, Oluwadare said such had been criminalised in the new Electoral Act.
He raised concern about how far security agents would be able to stop the practice, arrest and prosecute offenders.
“Vote merchandise is identified as a major setback that can make nonsense of the novel intention of BVAS and electronic transmission of results.
“Where vote buying is communally resisted, it can lead to violence and disruption of voting.
“INEC and security agents therefore need to be on alert to prevent this virus into the credibility of the election,” he said.
The professor said the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) by INEC should be made to be really continuous.
“For us as CSOs, we want all stakeholders, including NGOs and development partners, to buy into the principle and practice of Continuous Voters Registration.
“The election-related political value orientation, social education and mobilisation should not to be limited to few months to election and pack-up after the announcement of the results.
“It is this that will make democratic practice and governance more entrenched, deep rooted and wide political culture of Nigerians.
“We affirm that CSOs are willing, able and will always be ready to do more to partner with Ekiti State INEC and other stakeholders to produce a better by far peaceful, credible and acceptable election on June 18 that will be a template for General Election in 2023.” Oluwadare said.
Speaking , the Ekiti State Coordinator of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Mrs Mary Chikezie, commended INEC’s giant strides in a bid to ensure that the forthcoming Gubernatorial Election in Ekiti State and the subsequent elections in Nigeria were free, fair and credible.
” The arrangements put in place are highly commendable. The proper involvement of stakeholders, online registration of intending Ad-hoc staff and sensitization of political parties, the electorates as well as corps members.
“All these efforts geared towards the success of the election are highly appreciated,” Chikezie said.
She solicited the support of all stakeholders toward the security of all all corp members that would be involved in the poll.
The objectives of the meeting was read by Mrs Mary Nkem , the INEC Deputy Director, Voter Education, who represented, the Director Voter Education, Mr Victor Aluko.
Other stakeholders who gave goodwill messages at the occasion include Ekiti State Director of the National Orientation Agency, Mrs Famuyiwa Olawumi, the Deputy Country Director, IFES, Mr Ukeh Obaje, the Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ekiti State,Comrade Rotimi Ojomoyela and the representative of the online publishers.
