INEC: Elections are challenging because politicians pursue them like war

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says the way politicians pursue elections in Nigeria can be likened to war.

Festus Okoye, INEC commissioner for information and voter education, said this on Monday at the inauguration of the election crisis communication team (ECCT).

The creation of the team was initiated by the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD).

Speaking at the event, Okoye said the task of conducting elections is a daunting one and that the ECCT is a perfect complement to the capacity of INEC.

“The election preparations, deployment and implementation are the most extensive mobilization that could happen in a country even in peacetime,” he said.

“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.”

Okoye added that the commission is, however, determined and confident of conducting free, fair, transparent and inclusive election in 2023.

“The commission continues to provide timely and important information relating to the electoral process especially in the area of changes in the law, the deepening of the use of technology in the electoral process, the conduct of elections and the management of different aspects of the electoral process,” he said.

“However, there is still room for strengthening the communications system of the commission, as we experience increasing incidents of misrepresentation of the commission, either out of insufficient appreciation of the constitutive legal instruments underlying the work of the commission; inadequate understanding of the work of the commission or other sundry issues around political positioning and contest for power. As a result of the way elections are pursued by politicians, elections are almost akin to war. It is almost like a perennial crisis.”