As politicians step-up horse-trading ahead of subsequent elections in the country, the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), has listed five main areas of likely challenges that could confront the Commission in the conduct of the election and the 2023 general election.
These areas include expanding voter access to polling units in the context of a growing population, the growth of new settlements across the country and validation of the voters roll and Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) in the shadow of the COVID- 19 pandemic.
Others are the amendment of the Electoral Act that will improve the conduct of free, fair, transparent elections; deepening technology in the electoral process and rolling out voting machines for the Anambra State governorship election.
The Commission’s national commissioner and chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), Festus Okoye, identified the areas at the end of a five-day workshop at the weekend for Review of INEC Voter Education Manual, held in Keffi, Nasarawa State.
Also, equally of great concern to the Commission is how to increase voters’ turnout in future elections and how to effectively manage electoral success recorded in the last two off-season elections in Edo and Ondo States.
Okoye stated that the Commission had resolved to sustain the momentum of the successes recorded in the Edo and Ondo governorship elections and also increase voter turnout in elections through the provision of access to the polling units.
On the voter register, Okoye said that the INEC was determined to clean up the document and register all eligible and constitutionally qualified Nigerians.
Stating that the INEC could not succeed alone in the task of conducting successful elections, the commissioner said: “We must build multi-sector coalitions for the sustenance of the electoral process and consolidation of democracy”.
