The Pacesetter Frontier Magazine

Tag: Electoral

  • 2027 Elections: INEC Launches Nationwide Tracker for Election Readiness

    2027 Elections: INEC Launches Nationwide Tracker for Election Readiness

    The Independent National Electoral Commission has unveiled a new operational strategy aimed at strengthening its preparations and identifying potential challenges ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.

    The strategy centres on a real-time monitoring system that will allow the commission’s headquarters to track the preparedness of its offices across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

    INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan announced the initiative while opening a two-day Strategic Operational Workshop for the commission’s Administrative Secretaries in Lagos.

    The commission is introducing an Administrative Secretary Master Operational Tracker Template, described as a data-driven tool that will provide real-time information on the readiness of INEC offices nationwide.

    The system will be linked directly to INEC’s Election Monitoring and Support Centre, enabling the commission to monitor critical aspects of election preparations, including the distribution of materials and training of personnel.

    Amupitan said the initiative was designed to shift the commission towards a more proactive approach to election management by identifying and addressing potential problems before they disrupt the electoral process.

    He described Administrative Secretaries as the “engine room” of INEC’s operations at the state level and urged them to maintain strict operational discipline as preparations for the elections gather pace.

    The INEC chairman said lessons from recent off-cycle elections, particularly the Osun State election, should be expanded and transformed into a national standard ahead of 2027.

    “If you tolerate shortcuts, shortcuts will multiply. If you tolerate political interference, neutrality will deteriorate,” Amupitan told the officials.

    He said the commission needed an administrative culture capable of delivering credible elections and urged its state-level officials to identify and address bottlenecks that could undermine preparations.

    The new strategy will focus on five major areas considered critical to the successful conduct of the elections.

    They include voter registration and the distribution of Permanent Voter Cards, as the national voter register approaches 100 million voters.

    INEC will also examine logistics and election material management, covering the receipt, auditing, storage and deployment of sensitive materials across the country.

    Electoral technology will form another major component of the preparations, with officials expected to improve their understanding and management of systems, including the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, the INEC Results Viewing Portal and the Candidate Registration and Results Management System.

    Human resources will also receive attention, particularly the recruitment, vetting and technology training of ad-hoc election personnel.

    The commission will additionally focus on financial compliance, including workflow automation and adherence to procurement regulations.

    INEC’s preparations come as political activities ahead of the 2027 elections continue to intensify, with political parties beginning to position themselves for contests at the federal and state levels.

    According to the commission’s timetable, the final register of voters is expected to be published on January 11, 2027, ahead of the presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled to commence on January 16.

    Campaign activities are expected to end on February 18, while a possible presidential run-off has been scheduled for February 28. Governorship and State House of Assembly elections are expected to follow on March 6. The Guardian

  • INEC urges FG to pass amended electoral bill

     

    Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), yesterday, called on both chambers of the National Assembly to harmonise and speedily pass the amended Electoral Act Bill.

    INEC said it was already racing against time with regard to preparations for the 2023 general election, noting that the framework was needed to back up its actions.

    National Commissioner, Information and Voter Education (IVEC), Festus Okoye, made the call in Asaba, Delta State, on the sidelines of the opening of a two-day capacity building workshop for heads of Voter Education and Publicity (VEP) and Public Affairs Officers of INEC from the 17 southern states.

    The workshop was organised with support from the European Centre for Electoral Support (ACES) and the European Union. Okoye, who declared it open, told newsmen that the commission was determined to deepen democracy through a technologically-driven electoral process in 2023 and beyond.

    Explaining why the bill needed to be urgently passed and signed into law, Okoye said there was a provision in the proposed law for 360-day notice of elections before the commencement of polls.

    “And you know, INEC has already fixed February 18, 2023 as date of election, so when you count backwards, you will see there is a limited time within which we have to give the notice of election based on the new bill. The bill also makes it mandatory that election funds shall be released to the commission at least 12 months before any election.

    “So, we are desirous for the bill so that whatever fund is due to the commission for the purpose of procurement can be released so that we can procure ballot boxes on time, procure cubicles, procure additional BVAS and procure any other thing we need to procure on time and begin to prepare well for the conduct of the election.

    “Also, under the new bill, political parties are obligated to submit list and personal particulars of their nominated candidates at least 180 days to the election. The implication is that parties must conclude their primaries ahead of time, at least six months to election for them to remain within the framework.

    “National Assembly is aware of this, and we are confident as a commission, that whatever issues are involved relating to why the bill has not been passed would be resolved any moment from now. There are so many provisions in the bill that would impact fundamentally on the electoral process,” Okoye said.

    Addressing participants while declaring the workshop open, Okoye urged them to, as a matter of importance, assist their resident electoral commissioners (RECs) to engage the media.

    “Running away from the media will not make them go away. Engage the media within the ambit of your own ability and expertise. You must not be an orator. You must not be charismatic. Your business is communication and you must communicate in knowledge and humility,” he said.

    Project Coordinator, ECES, Hamza Fassi-Fihri, expressed the agency’s commitment to ensuring an efficient and seamless communication system in the nation’s electoral process.

    The REC in charge of Delta State, Monday Udo-Tom, expressed optimism that the outcome of the workshop would enhance INEC’s communication and perception management strategy, and also enrich the electoral process.

     

    (Sun)

  • Election technology: INEC commends NASS

     

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has lauded the National Assembly for empowering the agency to determine and deploy appropriate technology in future elections.

     

    The commission also appealed to the National Assembly to make broad provisions of laws to empower it to continue innovating without restriction to a specific technology.

     

    INEC’s Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, stated this at a meeting with the Senate and House of Representatives Conference Committee on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2021 in Abuja, yesterday.

     

    “Understandably, the issue of technology in elections has dominated recent public discussions in Nigeria. The commission appreciates the decision of the National Assembly to empower INEC to determine and deploy appropriate technology in future elections. For us in INEC, this is one of the progressive decisions by our National Assembly. As you finalise on the Electoral Amendment Bill, I urge you to continue to endow the commission with power to determine what technology to deploy in our elections at the appropriate time.

     

     

    “One way of doing so is to make broad provisions of the law that will empower the commission to continue to innovate without restricting us to a specific technology, such as the Smart Card Reader, which could in due course become obsolete, inapplicable or irrelevant as is already the case, following the recent introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) by the commission. The commission looks forward to the conclusion of the process without which we cannot make the regulations and guidelines to give effect to the provisions of the law. Without the regulations and guidelines, we cannot finalise on the manuals for the training of officials that will conduct elections. There are extensive provisions in the current Bill that require clear guidance by the commission. With only 484 days to the 2023 general election, time is of the essence.”

     

    Yakubu said in addition to the Anambra State governorship election holding on November 6, the commission had already scheduled three major elections to be conducted next year.

     

    “First is the Area Council election in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) holding on February 12, 2022, followed by Ekiti governorship election on June 18, 2022 and Osun governorship election a month later on July 16, 2022. The Commission also has five pending bye-elections made up of three federal constituencies and two state constituencies to contend with.

     

    “The Electoral Act is one of the most important laws in any democracy. Election is a process anchored on a legal framework. First is the constitution, followed by the Electoral Act. In all jurisdictions, the Electoral Act provides more detailed provisions to govern the conduct of elections and the electoral process. One of the unique aspects of the current amendment of the Electoral Act is that it started well ahead of the forthcoming general election, unlike previous exercises which came too close to elections. The importance of starting early is that it allows for a thorough debate by citizens on aspects of the Bill long after the conventional public hearing as witnessed recently. Clearly, the Electoral Amendment Bill 2021 is one of the most extensively debated Bills in Nigeria,” he said.

     

     

     

     

    Source: www.sunnewsonline.com