By JOHN ONAH, Abuja –
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it is leaving nothing to chance in ensuring that intensive and extensive security is provided for election personnel and materials and processes ahead of the 2023 elections.
The Commission’s position was made known by a National Commissioner and Chairman of the Board of the Electoral Institute, Professor Abdullahi Zuru.
He said this on Monday in Abuja at the start of a two day Validation Workshop of Election Security Training Resources.
The workshop is a follow up to earlier workshops held in 2022 in Keffi, Nasarawa State and another one held in August 2022 in Kano State.
According to Professor Zuru, the Commission is taking electoral security seriously because of security challenges in parts of the country and the fact that National Youth Service Corps Members constitute the core of the Polling Unit Election Officials.
Professor Zuru warned that if insecurity is not monitored and dealt with decisively, it could ultimately culminate in the cancellation and (or) postponement of elections in sufficient constituencies to hinder declaration of election results and precipitate a constitutional crisis.
Speaking further, Professor Zuru said the “progressive and commendable” improvement of security personnel during the Osun and Ekiti Governorship Elections is tied to the Electoral Security Training conducted by The Electoral Institute.
In his welcome Remarks, the Director General of The Electoral Institute, Dr. Sa’ad Umar Idris emphasized that the Election Security Training Documents will play a very critical role in the effective training of Security Personnel in securing the electoral environment for free, fair, credible and inclusive elections.
Dr. Idris also said the outcome of the workshop will lead to an improvement in the professionalism of securing the electoral environment.
The four documents to be validated are: the electoral security personnel training manual, the electoral security personnel facilitator’s guide, the electoral security handbook and the basic security in election duty handbook.
In his goodwill message, the country director of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, IFES, Serah Jah, said managing security threats in the electioneering process is a tall order for INEC.
He said to effectively provide security during elections, security personnel need adequate training on their roles and responding polls.
He went on to restate IFES’ commitment to continue its partnership with INEC and its members in building a sustainable democracy in Nigeria.
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