The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has stated that for it to effectively prepare for the 2023 general election, “it would be involved in recruiting and training staff and managing the logistics for their deployment to 176,846 polling units, spread across 8,809 electoral wards, 774 local government areas, 37 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
According to INEC, “this is in addition to applying strategic approaches to ensure the printing and collection of PVCs by registered voters and replacing lost cards before the 2023 general election.
National Commissioner and chairman Information and Voter Education Committee Barrister Festus Okoye said this while inaugurating the Election Crisis Communication Team (ECCT) in Abuja on Monday, Okoye stated that the initiative by the Centre for Democracy and Development “has once more shown that it is not just a leading Civil Society Organization (CSO) that advocates for an improved democracy in Nigeria but a think tank that approaches issues of national concern from an informed perspective based on thorough research.”
He described the ECCT initiated by the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) as not only innovative and timely but a perfect complement to the capacity of the Commission.
While stating that “INEC has enjoyed good media coverage and Nigerians have become increasingly aware of its work and the values attached to transparent elections and the consequences of inappropriate electoral behavior,” he however, noted that “the commission has also been doing a lot on issues under-reported, shrouded in sensationalism or even misinterpreted by the general public.”
Okoye said “the task of conducting elections all over the world is a daunting one. Election preparations, deployment and implementation are the most extensive mobilization that could happen in a country even in peacetime.
“In Nigeria, voters would elect candidates for 1,491 constituencies, comprising 1 Presidential Constituency, 28 Governorship elections, 109 Senatorial Districts, 360 Federal Constituencies and 993 State Assembly seats for the 2023 general elections.
“In preparations, INEC would be involved in recruiting and training staff and managing the logistics for their deployment to 176,846
polling units, spread across 8,809 electoral wards, 774 local government areas, 37 States of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“This is in addition to applying strategic approaches to ensure the printing and collection of PVCs by registered voters and replacing lost cards before the 2023 general election.”
These tasks are better appreciated when one reasons that the projected voter population for the 2023 general election is about 95 million, which is over 20 million more than the combined voter population of the other 14 countries in West Africa.
“The commission is determined and confident of conducting free, fair, transparent and inclusive election in 2023.”