Champion News
Ahead of the political campaigns for 2023 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC would be meeting the National Peace Committee under the leadership of former Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar next week as a way of deepen consultations for the elections.
According to INEC time-table, the presidential campaigns are slated to begin on September 28.
The Commission would also organise a major discussion on electoral logistics involving logisticians, security agencies, labour unions and other critical stakeholders in the first week of October.
These were disclosed by the INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu during a retreat to review the Ekiti and Osun Off-Cycle governorship elections ahead of the 2023 general elections in Ikeja, Lagos.
Other participants at the retreat were Staff of the Commission, representatives of civil society organisations, election experts and development partners who were to deliberate on a variety of issues from 13th-17th September.
In his opening remark, the INEC boss said, “By organising today’s retreat, the Commission has sustained the tradition of reviewing our elections to learn lessons for improvement of future elections. The truth is that in last one decade or so, the conduct of elections in particular and the management of the electoral process in general have become more complex. Voting populations have become larger and more diverse in terms of their voting needs and expectations.
“The introduction of technology has made election and the electoral process more transparent. Electoral Commissions are subjected to greater public scrutiny and under increasing pressure to adequately respond to the diversity and complexity of the needs of various electoral stakeholders to ensure seamless voter registration processes, expand voter access to polling units, ensure adequate and focused voter and civic education programmes, provide adequate and prompt information about electoral activities, make adequate arrangements for the prompt commencement of voting activities on Election Day, address issues of inclusivity for marginalised groups (women, youth, persons with disability and IDPs) and ensure greater transparency in result management and result collation processes…
