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Again, INEC raises security concerns over conduct of 2023 polls

Disturbed by prevailing insecurity in the country, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has again expressed concerns over the conduct of the 2023 general election.

INEC, while noting that 42 of its facilities have been attacked in 14 states across the country, said the prevailing security threats to the electoral process were more than those of the 2019 general election.

It made the disclosure via the INEC Strategic Plan 2022-2026 which was unveiled by the commission’s Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu.

INEC, while revealing the challenges facing the commission ahead of the 2023 general election, expressed concerns over lack of internal democracy in political parties and the unwilling nature of political actors to accept electoral outcomes.

The electoral body, in its 160-page document, stated: “In the past several months, the security situation in the country has assumed worrying dimensions.

“The commission’s assets and facilities, being spread across all the 774 LGAs (local government areas) and state capitals in the country, have come under various forms of security threats including vandalism and arson.

“In more specific terms, across the six geopolitical zones, the threat levels have gone far beyond what obtained during the 2019 general election.

“A total of forty-two (42) attacks across fourteen (14) states nationwide from 2019 to date have suddenly raised serious security threats to the commission’s assets and personnel. While details of these attacks are presented in the figure below, the physical security of the commission’s offices, personnel and assets need now be taken as seriously as election security has been.

“Although the attacks have considerably waned in the past few weeks, it is important to now fully integrate security considerations in all phases of the activities of the commission:

“Location of offices and facilities; provision of protection to these facilities;

“Staff training and capacity building on basic security awareness and measures;

“Increased collaboration and coordination with ICCES at all levels and deployment of technology for securing staff, facilities and materials.”

INEC further expressed displeasure at the lack of internal democracy in political parties which has led to pre-election litigations in which it has been a nominal party.

It claimed that the attitude of parties and actors had accounted for frequency of bye-elections and re-run elections.

The commission said it has reached a point where the commission conducts an election virtually every month.

INEC said before the 2019 general election, the commission conducted over 190 bye-and re-run elections arising from the 2015 general election.

It added: “Political parties are key institutions in the democratization process. As such their management, operations and internal processes have a huge impact on the conduct of elections and on the wider process.

“For instance, the lack of internal party democracy has tremendous implications on the leadership selection process, negatively affecting not just the parties themselves, but also the wider electoral process.

“The frequency of bye-and re-run elections has meant that the commission conducts an election virtually every month. This has had a significant impact on raising the cost of elections and has put the Commission virtually in an ‘election mode’ all year round sometimes to the eve of general elections.

“For example, the commission conducted over 190 by-and re-run elections arising from the 2015 general election, taking part of much needed time for the preparation of the 2019 general election.

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“It is also of significant concern that while the conduct of elections at the federal level is adjudged as largely, free and fair, elections at the level of local councils leave much to be desired and have adverse implications for democratic consolidation.”

INEC, however, decried the attitude of political actors in the country, especially their refusal to accept poll outcomes, saying: “Overall, the political context within which the commission conducts elections is dynamic, informed as it is by the behavior and activities of several electoral stakeholders in the process.

“With the conduct of six successive general elections across five electoral cycles, democratic consolidation in Nigeria can be said to be well underway, albeit with significant challenges.

“Political actors are unwilling to accept electoral outcomes, turning some political contests into theatres of war.

“This has serious negative political consequences for the electoral process with an overbearing impact on the competition for political power and on the conduct of elections, often manifested in election violence and related electoral malpractices,” the commission stated.

The Star