2023 elections ‘ll be the best conducted ever – INEC

.As Group fumes against intimidation of youths at voters’ registration centres in Lagos

.APC stakeholders, youth forum ask party to pick VP from N/East

Obiora Ifoh and  Adekunle Adesuji

Abuja

 

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that it will deploy new technologies in making the 2023 elections the best coordinated in Nigeria.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Kwara, Malam Garba Attahiru-Madami, stated this during the commemoration of 2022 Democracy Day, organised by Michael Imoudu Institute of Labour Studies in Ilorin on Monday.

He said that INEC will utilise the new technologies with the aim of improving electoral process in the country.

Attahiru-Madami said that Nigeria started using digital technology in the electoral process in 2011, adding that the commission introduced the automated fingerprint identification system to stop voters from registering more than once.

“The permanent voter card and smart card reader were introduced in the 2015 general elections. At the polling station, a voter’s identity is verified by matching his/her biometrics with the voter’s card,” he said.

He noted that the use of the technologies had improved the legitimacy of past the electoral process, adding that the commission has also improved on it and would ensure that all the identified irregularities were eliminated.

The REC enjoined all eligible citizens to get their PVCs, stressing that it was their power to make choice for good leadership in the country.

He, however, warned people against multiple registrations, adding that political parties must caution their members against contravening the law governing voter registration.

According to Attahiru-Madami, a fine of N1 million and/or imprisonment awaits any violator of the voter registration law.

Earlier in his address of welcome, Director-General of MINILS, Mr Isa Aremu, said that democracy day was worth celebrating, as it had brought about great development and enhanced human rights.

He commended President Muhammadu Buhari for moving the commemoration of democracy day to June 12 and for the posthumous award bestowed on the late Chief M.K.O. Abiola.

Aremu commended INEC for its roles in fostering democracy in the country, adding that so far 84 million Nigerians had been registered as voters.

He said that the institute would continue to assist in fostering and strengthening democracy in the country.

In his speech, Oba Abdulrahman Abioye, the Olukotun of Ikotun in Oyun Local Government Area of the state, enjoined Nigerians to have confidence in INEC and in the country’s democracy.

He also appealed to Nigerians to get registered in order to have the opportunity of electing leaders of their choice in 2023.

Meanwhile, the Peter Obi Support Network (POSN), has condemned the intimidation of peoples of Southeast origin at Voters Registration Centres in Lagos State as well as the prevention of voters’ registration exercises in some parts of Imo state.

POSN while reacting to series of viral videos of unbelievable intimidation of adults, who had peacefully attempted to contribute their civic quota to the democratic process of obtaining their PVCs, calls on Security Agencies, in collaboration with Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to tame the ugly trend.

In the Statement signed by Comrade Sani Saeed Altukry, the group’s Spokesman further implored INEC to distribute more equipment and personnel to the allocated registration centres in Lagos State particularly and other states of the Federation that require same urgent attention to effectively register all adults, who desire to exercise their civic rights in 2023 and beyond.

“We condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the intimidation and violence evidently meted out to the people from the Southeast origin resident in Lagos State, who went to exercise their fundamental rights of getting registered as voters to be eligible to perform their simple civic duty of voting during elections in Nigeria”, the statement read.

“Few weeks ago, similar incidents were reported about people being chased out of a registration centre in Imo State by those alleged to be armed bandits.

“These developments in our democratic polity are extremely worrying and should be of great concern to our security agencies.

“We commend INEC for establishing emergency registration centres in Enugu, Lagos and other locations, which has given eligible youths the opportunity to register while we continue to call for extension of the registration deadline beyond June 30 so as not to disenfranchise millions of eligible Nigerians who are willing to exercise their civic duties.

“We commend the electoral body for their recent press release, which clearly suggests they are genuinely working towards making sure that any eligible Nigerian desirous of obtaining a PVC will be granted such civic right by the Commission.

“However, we are of the view that 209 additional machines will not be enough to ease the congestion. If INEC is serious about solving this problem, it should be distributing 1000 machines, not 209”, the statement concluded.

However, the All Progressives Congress, National Stakeholders and the North East Youth Stakeholders Forum have demanded that the position of the Vice Presidential candidate should be zoned to the North East.

The group also said that they have no interest in who becomes the candidate so long as such one is from the North East zone.

Speaking with the media in Abuja on Monday, the leaders of the All Progressives Congress, National Stakeholders, Aliyu Audu said, “Having successfully crossed the hurdle of producing a presidential candidate from the southern region, All Progressives Congress is now faced with yet another important hurdle it must cross before the deadline for the submission of nominations by political parties elapses.

“The bone of contention this time around lies in which of the two dominant faith will produce the Vice Presidential candidate. There have been arguments that Vice Presidential candidate which is primed to come from the north must be of thé ChrIstian faith, while some others have argued that for the APC to stand the chance of winning the 2023 presidential election, the Vice must be a Christian, since the South has already produced a Muslim as the Presidential candidate.

“The APC National Stakeholders is deeply concerned about the raging controversy which has heated the polity in the last few days. Why we are conscious of the fact that religion should not be a determining factor in the our leadership selection process, the peculiar circumstance the nation funds herself calls tor do reflection in the decisions we take, so long as they bother on our national lives

“Today, the country is deeply divided within our fault lines of ethnicity and religion and we cannot afford to jettison this sensibilities in critical decision making. This is why we think that the All Progressives Congress must be guided by the sense of these sensibilities in the selection of the Vice Presidential Candidate of the party. To do otherwnise would be to further fuel what divides us and give room for mischief makers to take advantage of our differences.

“Nigeria is in dire need of good governance and this can come from either a Muslim leader or a Christian leader. But in the spirit of nationalism, justice and fairness which the northern governors demonstrated a few days ago, the leaders of the north on whose shoulder the emergence of the Vice Presidential candidate rests must also demonstrate this spirt by ensuring that the candidate comes from the Christian faith. The northern APC has in its fold capable individuals from the Christian faith with proven track record that can deliver just like anyone from the other faith. Their capability to deliver on the ideals of party aside, they also have the capacity to win elections for the party. Suffice to add that no individual wins elections for any political party, it is the collective of all and we are sure the APC can achieve this.

“The APC National Stakeholders therefore call on the APC to narrow her search of the Vice Presidential candidate of the party to a northern Christian whom we have in abundance. Doing this will ensure national inclusion, help to manage our differences and promote national unity.”

In a different briefing, the spokesperson of the North-East APC Youth Stakeholders Forum  Haruna Sardauna said, “While appreciating our Party Loyal Members Especially from the NorthWest and North Central Zones, we are appealing for their special consideration of the North-East Zone for the position of the Vice Presidential Candidate.

“The North-East region had been given block votes to the APC and Supported candidate from the other regions right from its Inception. Looking at the current pathetic situation that the region is bedevilled with Insurgency and other social unrest menace. Zoning the position of the Vice President to the North East will neutralizes the PDP Presidential candidate and mobilizes massive support from the region and other Zones to ensure victory of Alh. Ahmed Bola Tinubu.

“We therefore, appealed to our National, State, critical and non-critical stakeholders especially our father President Muhammadu Buhari (GCFR), our Candidate Ahmed Bola Tinubu and Senator Abdullahi Adamu led APC National Working Committee to consider our request.”