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Tag: General Elections

  • INEC reaffirms date for 2023 general elections

    INEC reaffirms date for 2023 general elections

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reaffirmed the date for the 2023 general elections to hold in the country.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu reaffirmed the date on Wednesday.

    He made the reaffirmation at a one-day public hearing on the National Electoral Offences Commission (Establishment) Bill 2021.

    TNG reports the public hearing, which was held at the Senate Conference room 022 of the new Senate building, was organized by the Senate Committee on INEC.

    The INEC Chairman in address reaffirmed that the general elections will hold on 18th February 2023, exactly one year, nine months, two weeks and six days or 660 days from today.

    TNG recalls that INEC first announced the date to hold the 2023 general elections in October 2020.

    The INEC Chairman, who made the announcement on October 15, 2020, was speaking at the inauguration of the House of Representatives Committee on Constitution Review.

    Reaffirming the date for the 2023 general elections, Yakubu thanked the leadership of the National Assembly and the Senate Committee on INEC for the giant step of organising this public hearing on the National Electoral Offences Commission (Establishment) Bill 2021.

    He stated that since the 2015 General Election, 124 cases of electoral offences were filed in various courts out of which 60 convictions have been secured so far, including the most recent one in Akwa Ibom State.

    He further stated that the Commission would like to see more successful prosecution of offenders, not just of ballot box snatchers and falsifiers of election results but most importantly their sponsors, adding that the work of the proposed Commission will help in this regard

    The INEC Chairman’s address reads: “On behalf of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), I would like to thank the leadership of the National Assembly and of the Senate Committee on INEC for the giant step of organising this public hearing.

    “Similarly, I would like to thank the distinguished “trio of Sen. Abubakar Kyari (Borno North), Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege (Delta Central) and Senator Kabiru Gaya (Kano South) for sponsoring the Bill.

    “I recall that Sen. Kyari, in particular, has been working on this Bill since 2016 when he was Chairman of the Senate Committee on INEC in the 8th Assembly.

    “At last, we are here today for public input into the Bill for the establishment of the Electoral Offences Commission 13 years after the recommendations of the Justice Mohammed Lawal Uwais Committee on Electoral Reform (2008) echoed by the Sheikh Ahmed Lemu Committee on the 2011 post-election violence (2011) and, most recently, the Senator Ken Ugwu Nnamani Committee on Constitution and Electoral Reform (2017).

    “In addition, there issues that reinforce the recommendations of the Uwais Committee arising from the reports of police investigation, INEC administrative enquiries, court judgements, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and several accredited election observers.

    “No doubt, INEC is saddled with so many responsibilities ranging from the registration and regulation of political parties, registration of voters, delineation of constituencies, conduct of elections/bye-elections/referendum/recall and prosecution of electoral offences, among others. The tasks are Herculean.

    “Of the numerous responsibilities carried out by the Commission, the prosecution of electoral offenders has been one of the most challenging.

    “For instance, since the 2015 General Election, 124 cases of electoral offences were filed in various courts out of which 60 convictions have been secured so far, including the most recent one in Akwa Ibom State.

    “The Commission would like to see more successful prosecution of offenders, not just of ballot box snatchers and falsifiers of election results but most importantly their sponsors.

    “We look forward to the day when highly placed sponsors of thuggery, including party chieftains and candidates that seek to benefit from violations of the law, are apprehended.

    “We believe that the work of the proposed Commission will help in this regard. The Commission will submit a detailed clause-by-clause comment on the Bill to the Senate Committee on INEC ahead of the commencement of the Committee’s technical work.

    “However, while we are excited by today’s public hearing, I would like to reiterate our appeal to the National Assembly for the expeditious passage of the Electoral Offences Commission (Establishment) Bill 2021 and the pending review of the electoral legal framework generally.

    “We are confident that the National Assembly will expedite legislative action and conclude work on the legal framework in earnest. The Commission is anxious to know the legal framework to govern the conduct of the 2023 General Election.

    “By the principle established by the Commission, the next General Election will hold on Saturday 18th February 2023 which is exactly one year, nine months, two weeks and six days or 660 days from today.

    “We hope to release the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the General Election immediately after the Anambra Governorship election scheduled to hold on 6th November 2021.

    “In order to do so, there should be clarity and certainty about the electoral legal framework that will govern the election. We are confident that the National Assembly will do the needful soonest.

    “Finally, I wish to restate the Commission’s support for this Bill and we commend the initiative of its sponsors and the commitment of the leadership as well as the membership of the National Assembly to its actualisation”.

  • 9 Nigerians contest in Tuesday’s U.S. elections

    9 Nigerians contest in Tuesday’s U.S. elections

    No fewer than nine Nigerian Americans are on the ballot in Tuesday’s general elections in the United States.

    Running mostly on the platform of the Democratic Party, the candidates are bidding for different offices at the federal, state and local levels.

    Besides the presidential election, governorship polls are holding in 11 states and two territories, in addition to other state and local elections.

    Congressional elections are also holding on Tuesday with all the 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, and 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate up for grabs.

    At the federal level, Mr Oye Owolewa, whose father is from Kwara and mother from Oyo, is aiming for a ‘shadow’ (non-voting) seat in the House of Representatives.

    Owolewa, a Ph.D holder in Pharmacy from the Northeastern University, Boston, is seeking to represent the District of Columbia (DC) under the Democratic Party.

    If elected, the 30-year-old, whose agenda include fighting income inequality in the U.S., would be the first Nigerian congressman in the country’s history.

    Also at the federal level, Mr Yomi Faparusi, an Ibadan-born native of Ode-Ekiti in Ekiti State, is vying as an independent candidate to represent the state of Tennessee in the U.S. Senate.

    Faparusi holds a doctorate in Medicine from the University of Ibadan, a Ph.D. in Health from Johns Hopkins University, and Juris Doctorate from the Widener University School of Law, Delaware.

    This is not his first shot at the U.S. Congress. In 2014 and 2016, he vied for the Republican Party’s ticket to the House of Representatives, but lost in both occasions

    Faparusi’s priorities include being a positive voice for all Nigerians in the U.S. Senate, and inspiring Americans of African or Nigerian descent to seek public office in the country.

    In Missouri, a Republican controlled state, Mr Yinka Faleti from Lagos is the Democratic Party flagbearer in the election for the office of Secretary of State.

    According to Wikipedia, Faleti was in the U.S. Army as an active-duty officer from 1998 to 2004. He served in Kuwait, first under Operation Desert Spring and later as part Operation Enduring Freedom.

    The 44-year-old father of four holds a Bachelor’s degree from the United States Military Academy, West Point, and a Juris Doctorate from the Washington University School of Law.

    His goals as a Secretary of State include protection of the “right to vote for Missouri families”, and ensuring elected officials hear the people’s voice.

    Also at the state level, Mr Paul Akinjo from Ondo, is running for election to the California State Assembly under the Democratic Party to represent District 12.

    Akinjo once served as Vice Mayor of Lathrop, California, and in the U.S. Army Reserve from 1982 to 1989. His priorities include housing, immigration and transportation.

    In Delaware, a small Mid-Atlantic U.S. state, Adewunmi Kuforiji is aspiring to represent District 34 in the state House of Representatives.

    Kuforiji, originally from Ibadan, Oyo, secured the Democratic Party’s ticket on Sept. 15 after defeating his challenger, Robert Haynes, at the primary. He holds a Bachelor in Accounting and a Master’s in Business Administration from the Delaware State University.

    In the 2018 mid-term elections, he vied for the same position but lost to the incumbent, Lyndon Yearick, of the Republican Party, whom he is facing he on Tuesday.

    Also at the state level, Ms Esther Agbaje, is seeking to represent District 59B in the Minnesota House of Representatives on the platform of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFLP), an affiliate of the U.S. Democratic Party.

    The 35-year-old daughter of an Episcopal priest and a librarian, both Nigerian immigrants, defeated longtime state Representative Raymond Dehn in the party’s primary in August.

    She is one of one of four progressive greenhorns who defeated established Democratic legislators in the primary.

    Agbaje has a law degree from Harvard University, a Master’s from the University of Pennsylvania, and has served in the U.S. Department of State, among others.

    As a millennial, a “generation that has suffered numerous setbacks”, she seeks to bring a fresh perspective and new ideas to government.

    On the ballot at the local government level are April Ademiluyi, Ngozi Akubuike and Benjamin Osemenam.

    Ademiluyi, 39, is running on the Democratic Party’s ticket for Judge of the Seventh Circuit Court in Prince George’s County, Maryland.

    For her part, Akubuike, a legal practitioner, is an independent candidate for judge of the Minnesota 2nd District Court Position 8.

    Akubuike studied law in Nigeria, then worked in the banking sector before moving to the U.S. where she graduated from the Mitchell Hamline School of Law.

    She has served in several capacities, including legal manager for the state of Minnesota.

    Osemenam, who moved to the U.S. in 1982, is contesting for a seat in the Brooklyn Park City Council of Minnesota to represent East District.

    An engineer with the Minnesota Department of Transportation, he is vying on the platform of National Party.

    He is a former president of the Association of Nigerian Engineers in Minnesota.

  • Police arrest Kwara senator few hours to general elections

    Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force have arrested serving a senator Rafiu Ibrahim (PDP, Kwara South Senatorial District) following allegations he orchestrated a violence that broke out in Ojoku, Kwara State.

    According to reports, the incident took place on Tuesday night leaving at least two people dead.

    “We invited him for questioning on Thursday, and he was with us for several hours,” Kwara police spokesperson Ajayi Okasanmi said on Friday morning.

    Ibrahim’s associates said he remained in custody as of Friday morning.

    Okasanmi said he was unsure whether or not Mr Ibrahim, representing Kwara South Senatorial District, had been released.

    Kayode Egbetokun, the Kwara police commissioner, declined comments about the development on Friday morning saying he was not in a conducive situation to speak on the matter.

    Ibrahim, of the Peoples Democratic Party, was accused of unleashing a group of armed attackers against Lola Ashiru, his All Progressives Congress challenger in Kwara South.

    Ashiru was reportedly on a campaign stop in Ojoku, Ibrahim’s ancestral hometown, on Tuesday night when supporters of both camps clashed.

    Both camps have blamed one another for the deadly incident.

    Ibrahim’s supporters accused the police of inviting and detaining only the senator, while leaving Ashiru to continue his campaign ahead of the election on Saturday.

    They said his detention could hinder his election strategy, while conferring advantage on his opponent.

  • Ohanaeze Ndigbo, political parties, others react over INEC’s postponement of 2019 general elections

    Ohanaeze Ndigbo, political parties, others react over INEC’s postponement of 2019 general elections

    The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo has described the postponement of the Feb. 16 presidential and National Assembly elections as a `rude shock’.

    The organisation however, said that it would not draw conclusions on the matter yet until after the stakeholders meeting slated by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to clarify the circumstances.

    The Assistant National Publicity Secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Mr Chuks Ibegbu disclosed this on Saturday in Enugu while reacting to the shift in the dates of the general elections.

    The electoral body arising from a meeting of its national commissioners early hours of Saturday announced a shift in the dates of the general elections.

    The presidential and NASS elections that were scheduled to hold on Feb. 16 were shifted to Feb. 23 while the governorship and state houses of assembly elections that were slated for March 3 were rescheduled to March 9.

    The INEC in its preliminary reports cited logistical challenges as the major reason for the shift in dates.

    Ibegbu said that such uncertainty in the implementation of plans was characteristic of human nature.

    “Human activities are filled with uncertainties. Therefore, we will not pre-empt INEC until they come out to give us the full details of why the elections were shifted,” he said.

    Ibegbu however, said that it was regrettable that the elections did not go on as planned considering the fact that the electoral body had told Nigerians of its readiness for the polls.

    In a sinilar vein, the spokesman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Osun, Mr Taiwo Akeju, in a telephone interview in Osogbo on Saturday described the postponement of the elections as saddening and disheartening.

    Akeju said the postponement was a bad omen for Nigeria’s democracy and an unfortunate turn of events.

    He said the decision would dampen the spirit of Nigerians, adding that there would be dire consequences for such action.

    “What INEC has done has put Nigeria’S democracy in bad light before the international communitY.

    “The postponement is a very bad omen, it is not good for our democracy and the image of the country.

    “Until yesterday, INEC had assured that the elections would hold and that they have no excuse to shift the elections now.

    “What now happened between then and now? This is not too good for our democracy,’’ Akeju said.

    Also speaking, Mr Bisi Sunday, the Public Relations Officer of the PDP, said that with the postponement of the elections, INEC was no longer independent.

    Sunday said the postponement of the elections was a bad omen and not good for the image of the country.

    “We did not expect this postponement at all. How can INEC postpone the elections few hours to the exercise?.

    “This is gross abuse of office and it is saddening and this clearly shows that INEC is no longer independent.

    “We have mobilised our supporter across the state for the elections and now they called the process off.

    “ This will affect the morale of the people,’’ Sunday said.

    Meanwhile, the President of Civil Rights Realisation and Advancement Network, Mr Olu Omotayo has said that the sudden postponement was not good for the image of the country.

    Omotayo said that much funds and preparations by Nigerians may have gone into the presidential and NASS polls only for the INEC to call it off at the last minute.

    He said that many Nigerians including election observers had travelled far and near in readiness for the exercise only to wake up with the shocking news.

    “The postponement of the elections shows that INEC was not even ready in the first place. This is good not for the image of the country,” he said.

    Omotayo appealed to the electoral body to put its house in order to ensure a smooth exercise in the new dates as announced.

  • 2019 general elections: NSCDC deploys over 3,000 personnel in Delta

    The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Delta Command, has deployed over 3,000 personnel for the Saturday Presidential and National Assembly elections in the state.

    The state Commandant of the corps, Dr Benito Eze, who disclosed this to newsmen on Thursday in Asaba, said that the corps had earlier trained the over 3,000 officers for the election.

    While noting that the training was organised by the headquarters of the corps, Eze said that it was to ensure security before, during and after the general elections.

    He disclosed that the command was in partnership with other security agencies to ensure a peaceful election.

    The state commandant gave the assurance that armed security personnel would be on ground to respond to distress calls during the polls.

    Eze disclosed that the marine unit of the corps would provide security for the people living in the riverine areas of the state.

    The state commandant added that NSCDC had also deployed speed boats to patrol the coastal areas of the state and keep them safe during the exercise.

     

  • 2019: Facebook to show voting day reminder on Election Day

    2019: Facebook to show voting day reminder on Election Day

    As Nigeria counts hours to the 2019 general elections, Facebook has said it will show a voting day reminder at the top of Facebook’s News Feed on Election Day.

    TheNewsGuru (TNG) reports Ms Akua Gyekye, Facebook’s Public Policy Manager, Africa Elections made this known on Wednesday in Lagos.

    She said the firm had taken eight steps to protect election integrity in Nigeria and Africa.

    Gyekye said with the number of upcoming elections across Africa, Facebook was committed to reducing the spread of misinformation, protect election integrity and support civic engagement across the continent, including Nigeria.

    She said the social media giant had in recent times dedicated unprecedented resources to these efforts globally, especially in Africa where its efforts had been focused in eight key areas.

    According to her, the eight areas include fighting false news, boosting digital literacy to help people spot false news, promoting civic engagement, making political ads more transparent and proactive removal of impersonation accounts.

    She said it also included connecting with political parties about security, undertaking the training of journalists on practices for sharing content on its platforms and partnerships with NGOs and civil society groups on the continent.

    ”We want to stop the spread of false news on our platforms. That is why we have teamed up with local third-party fact-checkers across South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Cameroon and Senegal.

    ”They include Africa Check, Agence France-Presse (AFP), Pesa Check (a local Kenyan fact-checking organisation) and Dubawa (a local Nigerian fact-checking organisation).

    ”These independent groups help us assess the accuracy of news shared on Facebook, and when they determine content is false, we reduce its distribution in News Feed so fewer people see it.

    ”We also show related articles from fact-checkers for more contexts and notify users if a story they have shared is rated as false,” she said in a statement.

    Gyekye said that in Nigeria, WhatsApp had worked with Africa Check and CrossCheck Nigeria to let users send questions about potential rumours they have received through the platform.

    She said that these fact-checking expansions were part of a broader strategy to fight fake news that included extensive work to remove fake accounts and cut off incentives to the financially-motivated actors that spread misinformation.

    Gyekye said that Facebook had also intensified efforts to help people spot false news on their own and to flag it, rolling out educational tips on national and regional radio and in print media across Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia, Kenya and Zimbabwe.

    She said that in Nigeria, WhatsApp had launched its ”Share Facts, Not Rumours” campaign, to help increase awareness about hoaxes.

    According to her, at the end of 2018, Facebook began a new online safety programme for students in Nigerian secondary schools.

    She said that the 12-week workshop was designed to help teenagers understand the fundamentals of online safety and digital literacy.

    Gyekye said that Facebook was also promoting civic engagement around the elections.

    She said that in Nigeria, the firm had rolled out new options in English and Hausa, so people could report posts that contain incorrect election information, encourage violence or otherwise violate its community standards.

    According to her, on Election Day, Facebook will show a voting day reminder in English and Hausa at the top of Facebook’s News Feed.

    ”Arguably one of its boldest moves to date, Facebook is also making political ads more transparent across the globe including Africa.

    ”Earlier this month, it began temporarily expanding enforcement and not accepting foreign election ads on Facebook in Nigeria to help prevent foreign interference.

    ”Another measure deployed has been the proactive removal of impersonation accounts, thanks to recent advancements in its detection technology, which has made it to become much more effective at identifying these accounts.

    ”We want Facebook and WhatsApp to be places where people feel safe, can access accurate information and make their voices heard.

    ”We are making significant investments, both in products and in people, and continue to improve in each of these areas,” Gyekye said.

     

  • Why we posted Tinubu’s former CSO to Kwara few days to general elections – Acting IGP

    Why we posted Tinubu’s former CSO to Kwara few days to general elections – Acting IGP

    The acting Inspector-General of Police,Mohammed Adamu, has explained that the posting of Kayode Egbetokun, a former chief security officer to the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, to Kwara State as Commissioner of Police was only based on merit.

    Adamu stated this at a one-day summit organised by the Vanguard for Transparent Leadership and Democracy in Abuja on Thursday.

    Represented at the event by an Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mogaji Ismaila of the FCT Police Command, the acting IG said the outcry that greeted the posting of Egbetokun was unnecessary because the exercise had no political undertone.

    He said, “May I appeal to the journalists and the politicians not to drag us into political issues. Posting of commissioners of police is purely the responsibility of the IG in conjunction with the Police Service Commission.

    “This recent posting came as a result of the retirement of some commissioners of police and the elevation of some CPs to the rank of assistant inspectors-general of police, and even to the position of deputy inspectors-general of police.

    “You don’t expect the IG to leave states whose commissioners of police were promoted to AIGs and DIGs vacant. Definitely, there is going to be movement and as far as we are concerned, the IGP used experience, competence and other qualities in posting those police officers to the affected states.

    “The postings by the IGP have no political undertone and he has no ulterior motive in carrying out the exercise. He carried out the exercise purely for effective service delivery.

    “On the issue of a former CSO to a former governor, the man carried out that task as a junior officer. Now that he has risen to the position of CP, are you saying that he should not be posted?

    “The IG is free to post him to any state where he feels he could deliver. His posting is based on his track records, devoid of any political undertone and the criticisms about it are unnecessary.”

    The acting IG promised that the police would play a neutral role throughout the electoral process.

    “It is not true that majority of the newly posted CPs are northerners. Our postings are purely on merit and based on competence,” he added.

  • Bayelsa Govt. vows to tackle arms buildup, electoral violence

    Bayelsa Govt. vows to tackle arms buildup, electoral violence

    The Bayelsa government has vowed to deal with people stockpiling arms with intention of causing violence in the forthcoming general elections in the state.

    The government made the pledge at the State Executive Council meeting on Thursday in Yenagoa.

    The government said it would use the instrumentality of the law to punish anyone or group found to be disrupting the existing peace in the state during and after the forthcoming general elections.

    The council at its 104th meeting said it also deliberated extensively on a report before it that some politicians in the state are stockpiling arms for the purpose of causing mayhem.

    Addressing newsman, the new Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Arthur Seweniowor, said the government would not fold its arms and watch unscrupulous politicians to turn the state into a killing field.

    He stated that as a responsible government it would not allow what happened during the 2015 and 2016 governorship election to repeat itself.

    The state’s attorney general and commissioner for justice also stressed that Bayelsa government had a constitutional mandate to protect lives and property.

    Seweniowor, who maintained that elections were not war but a healthy contest to pick leaders, called on youths not to allow themselves to be used by selfish politicians to commit atrocities.

    “The violence that characterised the 2015 governorship election in the state was still fresh in our minds.

    “If you recall, the government did set up a panel of inquiry to investigate the crisis that engulfed parts of the state in course of the election.

    “A white paper was later produced after the panel submitted its report. It is sad to note that those indicted in that report are still the same persons who are stockpiling arms today.

    “We want to make it clear that on no account will anyone be allowed to launch a reign of terror and brigand on the people.

    “We are determined to bring anyone or group of persons found culpable to book.

    “We call on our youths not to allow themselves to be deployed as tools for electoral violence and manipulation,” Seweniowor said.

    On his part, the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, alleged that opposition politicians in the state were not preparing for elections but war.

    Iworiso-Markson said: “ because they know how unpopular they are, they have resorted to creating instability and turning the state into a theatre of war.”

    He appealed to parents and guardians to talk to their children and wards to stay away from desperate politicians and their evil plots.

    According to him, rather than take up arms, the youth should keep their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) closer to elect responsible leaders that will bring more development to the state.

    “Some of the opposition leaders only come back home when there is election and because of they are not popular they institute violent means to get into power,” he said.

     

  • NSCDC deploys 1000 personnel in Bayelsa ahead of general election

    The Bayelsa Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) says it has deployed over 1,000 personnel for election duties ahead of the forthcoming general elections.

    The NSCDC state Commandant, Mrs Christiana Abiakam-Omanu told the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday in Yenagoa that the Command was fully prepared for the exercise.

    “The Command will not tolerate any form of violence during the polls; those who want to ferment trouble before, during and after the forthcoming elections in the state should better have a rethink.

    “Officers and men of the corps are adequately prepared and ready for the elections and willing to collaborate with other security agencies to ensure peaceful elections in Bayelsa.’’

    Abiakam-Omanu said that the command would deploy over 1, 000 officers and men during the polls in the state.

    She explained that officers and men of the command have undergone intensive training and briefings on their expected roles during the elections.

    “We seriously develop some training programmes for our officers and we proactively ensure that they understand clearly their duties and what is expected of them on the Election Day.

    “We have also put in place a monitoring and evaluation mechanism to ensure that any officer found culpable during the polls would be made to face the full wrath of the law.

    “We expect our officers to be professional in the discharge of their duties on election days,” Abiakam-Omanu said.

    The Commandant urged politicians and other stakeholders to play the game by the rules.

    She also called on parents to caution their children to stay away from any act capable of breaching the peace before, during and after the election.

     

  • We need 1.2 million personnel to conduct 2019 general elections – INEC

    We need 1.2 million personnel to conduct 2019 general elections – INEC

    The chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu on Friday in Kano declared that the Commission needs about 1.2 million personnel, including security agencies, as well as ad’hoc staff to conduct the 2019 general elections.

    Yakubu who spoke through the chairman, Board of the Electoral Institute (BEI), Solomon Adedeji Soyebi, during the Election Security Personnel Training of Trainers for the 2019 general elections held in Kano, said over 360,000 to 450,000 security personnel are needed to man the polling units across the country during the elections.

    The training was organized by INEC in collaboration with European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES) and the European Union (EU).

    He also added that INEC requires about 500,000 security personnel to ensure peaceful and rancour-free elections in 2019.

    Prof. Yakubu further revealed that Nigeria is the second largest democracy in the world with 84 million registered voters, after the United States of America (USA), adding that in Africa, Nigeria remains the largest.

    He appealed to security agencies to ensure that they provide conducive atmosphere for credible elections, urging them, “not to leave any stone unturned while performing their duties. Election is supposed to be a civil exercise, so you have to conduct yourself in such a manner that the electorate will not be scared of you.”

    According to him, “this training on election security is, therefore, very important as it will serve to equip the security personnel with knowledge of our electoral process, electoral environment, electoral laws and guidelines and the risk elements inherent or associated with them.

    “Therefore, I implore participants to take the training seriously as it will deepen your standard Electoral Operation Guidelines and create a harmonise relationship amongst security agencies on election duty,” Yakubu said.

    In his remarks at the event, ECES Project Director, Rudolf Elbling who was represented by the ECES Senior Media and Communications Advisor, Paul Anderson, noted that conducting hitch-free and credible elections require a peaceful environment devoid of threats to lives and properties.

    According to him, “Election officials can only discharge their responsibilities of organizing elections including deployment and retrieval of materials in a secured environment. Voters also require a peaceful environment to be able to come out and vote during elections without fear of intimidation and harassment.”

    He added that for the 2019 general election to be successful, “security agencies have critical roles to play in securing the electoral process, a role that has become more challenging in view of reported cases of security breaches in certain parts of the country. The issue of security is indeed very complex in a vast country like Nigeria where election personnel and materials have to be deployed across land expanse and some difficult terrain.”