INEC and other stakeholders insist on a 2023 election

Despite various hurdles, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and other electoral stakeholders have insisted on holding the 2023 general elections.

This was stated by the commission and stakeholders during the 20th Annual Daily Trust Dialogue, themed ‘Interrogating the 2023 Presidential Agenda,’ held on Thursday in Abuja.

Mr Festus Okoye, National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information Committee at INEC, stated that the Commission was working hard to prepare for the election in accordance with its mandate.

He stated that 70% of the non-sensitive electoral materials had been deployed.

“As of today, we have taken delivery of all the technological gadgets we will deploy for this specific election, and we have also started training the corps members and other electoral workers that will be deployed for the conduct of this election.

“We recognize that security is a significant difficulty and a legitimate worry for election workers, Nigerians, and the Commission.

“We are consulting almost daily with the various security agencies about the security of our staff, the protection of the corps members that will be deployed for this election and voters’ safety.

“As a result, we want to reassure Nigerians that this commission is dedicated to holding free, fair, transparent, verifiable, and inclusive elections,” Okoye stated.

He underlined that the election dates remained definite and firm, and that INEC would not deviate from them.

Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, the Spokesperson for the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), commended the programme’s organisers for sustaining the quality of the dialogue, adding that discussions on the 2023 elections were apt.

Baba-Ahmed stated that it was past time for Nigerians to speak up and demand that elections be held on February 28 and March 11.

“Under any circumstances, Nigerians should not and will not accept any arrangement that is not in accordance with the Constitution.

“It doesn’t matter what the security situation is; there are individuals in charge, including President Buhari, governors, and security personnel.

“They must improve the security environment in such a manner that will relieve the public of some of the stresses they are living under that is likely to provoke them; these are essentials,” he said.

Baba-Ahmed said the measure was necessary because a credible election could not be conducted in a chaotic and angry environment, saying the government should improve it.

He said there were many challenges ahead of the elections, like fuel scarcity, insecurity and even the naira redesign of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

On his part, the National Chairman New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, Prof. Rufai Ahmed-Alkali, said that the naira redesign should have happened long ago and not a few months before the election.

Baba-Alkali said the currency change was causing agitation among Nigerians, adding that the new notes were not enough in circulation and people were rejecting the old ones.

“Secondly, only recently, some people are calling for the removal of the INEC chairman for no reason.

“How can you ask for his removal? The Commission has also been doing its best, so there is a better time to say you want to remove him,” he said.

“All these things are causing tension, but we are calling on INEC to stand firm; we also call on security agencies to stand firm, so they can ensure that we have a free and credible election”.

INEC has fixed February 28 and March 11 2023, for presidential and gubernatorial elections, respectively.