Ahead of the 2023 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared that a total of 87.2 million voters may be participating in the forthcoming elections which begin on Saturday going by the number of Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) that have been collected across the country.
Nigerians have exhibited enthusiasm of voting in this election which can be seen in the number of PVCs collected with most states recording over ninety percent PVC collection, and going by the total number of PVCs collected, which represents 93.3 percent of the 93.4 percent of Nigerians captured during the voter registration exercise, it shows that Nigerians are optimistic about the election.
Lagos State which has the highest number of registered voters of over 7 million, has 6.2 million or 88 percent collected their PVCs.
While Kano State with 5.9 million registered voters, about 5.5 million collected their PVCs representing about 94.5 percent.
The development, however, was noticed in the southeast region hitherto marred by voter apathy. According to the figures released by INEC all states in the geopolitical zone witnessed over ninety percent PVC collection with Anambra State leading with over 98 percent PVC collection.
Prof Mahmood Yakubu, the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), while briefing journalists on the state of preparedness of the Commission, noted that the commission is ready to go despite the sheer magnitude of the exercise involving over 93 million registered voters in 176, 606 polling units
He said, “This election is a huge logistical deployment. We have painstakingly procured, organised and delivered all the materials to the states for deployment.
“We commenced the delivery of non-sensitive materials over two months ago and they have been batched down to Registration Area/Ward and Pulling Unit levels.
“Sensitive materials have been delivered to the states and are presently being delivered to our Local Government Area offices. As such, these materials are only between one and two levels away from the Polling Units. We have achieved this by learning from our recent difficult experience with logistics.
Yakubu added, “We have completed arrangements with the transport unions for the final leg of the movement of personnel and materials to the Polling Units. They have assured us of their readiness to provide all the vehicular needs of the Commission for the election.
According to him, aside from training the election staff, he said that technology to be used for the polls have been tested and certified ready.
“Staff to be deployed for the elections have been trained, the last declaring that the “Commission shall carefully monitor the performance of all staff involved in the election and ensure that both recognition and sanctions are applied wherever applicable”.
“Let me reiterate that the procedure for voting as provided in the Electoral Act 2022, clearly makes the use of the BVAS mandatory. So also, the use of the Permanent Voters’ Card (PVC). The NO PVC, NO VOTING rule subsists. ”
The INEC Chairman however expressed concern over the ugly incidence of vote buying, “Vote buying remains a major threat to our democracy. We have worked closely with enforcement agencies to ensure that this is eliminated from our electoral process. We are convinced that our joint operations before and on election day will vastly reduce the prospect of voter inducement, which is not only illegal but immoral
“The ban on the use of mobile phones and photographic devices at the voting cubicles, is still in place. Some voters have used these devices in previous elections to snap their marked ballot papers for vote transaction.
“However, citizens are permitted to come to the Polling Units with these devices, as long as they do not take them to the voting cubicles,” he said.
Speaking on the reported killing of Oyibo Chukwu, the senatorial candidate of the Labour Party in Enugu State by unknown assailants, the Commission disclosed that it would invoke Section 34 of the Electoral Act 2022 to countermand the Enugu East Senatorial election for two weeks
Yakubu, while fielding questions during the first daily media briefing to herald the 2023 general elections, said the law provides for such interventions and that the Commission will act accordingly within the ambit of the law.
While noting that the LP has not officially written to the Commission he assured that as soon as their letter reaches the Commission, action will be taken.
The INEC chairman noted a similar case in Kano State and the party concerned informed the Commission adding that the late candidate who has since been buried has been substituted.
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