The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has warned that the 2023 general election, which is just over a month away, faces serious threat of cancellation if the waves of insecurity in parts of the country fail to improve.
The nation’s electoral body also stressed that this must not be allowed to happen.
INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, who was represented by the chairman, Board of Electoral Institute (BEI), Prof. Abdullahi Abdu Zuru, disclosed this yesterday in Abuja at the Validation of Election Security Training Resources.
The INEC helmsman stressed that security personnel, in particular, and all election officials, in general, must be security conscious and alert to unusual activities in their environment, and must be fully equipped to deal with any challenge.
He said, “We all appreciate the fact that election security is vital to democratic consolidation through provision of enabling environment for the conduct of free, fair, credible and inclusive elections and thus strengthening the electoral process.
“Consequently, in preparations for the 2023 general elections, the commission is not leaving anything to chance in ensuring that intensive and extensive security is provided for election personnel, materials, and processes.
“This is particularly significant to the commission given the current security challenges in various parts of the country and the fact that the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members constitute the core of the polling unit election officials.
