The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) stated yesterday that it has no plans to change or amend the dates for the upcoming elections.Information Guide Nigeria
The electoral body stressed that it would not, under any circumstances, allow anti-democratic elements and fifth columnists to mislead the Nigerian people about the Commission’s goals and intentions.
The clarification became necessary after a national daily (not THISDAY) reported that the electoral body was considering postponing the presidential election by two weeks due to recent attacks on the commission, particularly in the southeast.
In response to the report, Festus Okoye, Chairman of the INEC National Commission on Publicity and Voter Education, told THISDAY that the Commission’s Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has consistently and emphatically assured the nation that the dates set for the conduct of the 2023 general election were fixed and firm.NYSC portal
He said: “The question of shifting, postponement or adjustment of the timelines are not on the table and are not being contemplated by the Commission.
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“The purveyors of postponement cannot speak for the Commission. Their views are in the realm of imaginative speculation and not grounded on the realities on ground.”
Okoye reiterated that the Commission has implemented 12 out of the 14 items on its timetable and schedule of activities.
He noted that the entire Bi-modal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) required for the conduct of the election in the 176,846 polling units and the redundancies for the 8,809 Registration Areas have been tested and certified fit for purpose.
Okoye stressed that the Commission would use 436 out of this for mock accreditation in 12 polling units in each of the 36 States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. This is expected to take place on February 4, 2023.
He added: “Thereafter they will be purged and configured for the 2023 general election. The non-sensitive materials required for the election are in our zonal stores and in the states. They are being batched in accordance with the registration areas.
“The Commission has delivered a substantial number of the sensitive materials required for the conduct of the election to the Central Bank of Nigeria. The materials will be inspected by the Commission, the political parties, the media, and civil society groups a few days before their movement to the various Local Government Offices of the Commission.”JAMB Result
