Izuchukwu Okosi
Security agencies could have difficult time in enforcing law and order during the off cycle elections scheduled for Saturday, November 11, 2023.
There is also the challenges of transportation of electoral materials albeit the Independent National Election Commission are working assiduously to ensure a hitch-free polls.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThis was the submission of Ezenwa Nwagwu, The Chairman, Platform for Electoral Reforms, ahead of the Kogi, Imo and Bayelsa States elections.
“In Bayelsa, the control of politics has largely been held by other forces other than the role of the militants. In Imo, the activities of the unknown gunmen and the pervading state of insecurity in that state is an issue and of course you saw what happened in Kogi in the last elections.
“In 2023, there has to be much more work really. Unfortunately, they come under the elections and they all have to happen at the same time on the 11th.
Speaking on possible amendment to the electoral act, Nwagwu had this to say in his interview with Channels Television.
“Often times, I make this argument but it’s helpful to understand that INEC will prepare for elections. All the buckets are being filled in terms of what needs to happen.
“Stakeholder engagement, to ensure that people collect their PVS, deployment of materials, all of that happens peacefully until the election day where opening of polls can be affected by logistics.”
Continuing on the preparedness of the off cylce election by the Nigeria election arbitar, Nwagwu noted:
“Punctuality index can be also be affected by logistics especially now when you look at the canopy under which this particular election is happening where the transport vendors for INEC at the national level are embroiled in crisis.
“The NURTW for instance where for some reasons, the INEC continues to engage to move elections materials from one point to another.
“Now those ones are in crisis. How that affects the sub nations chapters of those regions is something that INEC has to work on,” he stressed.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
