2023: INEC committed to credible election, Yakubu assures

 Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu has assured Nigerians of credible election in 2023.

He gave the assurance while addressing national commissioners at a retreat in Lagos on Monday.

Yakubu reiterated that party primaries are scheduled to commence next Monday and end on 3rd June 2022.

Speaking on INEC’s preparedness for the 2023 election, the chairman said the Commission has concluded work on the Strategic Plan 2022-2026 and Election Project Plan for the 2023 General Election.

“Very soon, we will finalize work on the Regulations and Guidelines for elections taking into consideration the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022. The three documents will be published and presented to the public next month i.e. April 2022”, he said.

The chairman at the occasion reassured that the commission has identified the challenges associated with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) during voter accreditation.

He said “In the recent bye-elections in six constituencies in four States of the Federation across four geo-political zones, the BVAS functioned optimally in rural, sub-urban and urban areas of Cross River, Imo, Ondo and Plateau States.

“We received no complaints from voters and no reports of glitches from observers in these bye-elections. We will continue to perfect the system in the forthcoming bye-elections and the end of tenure Governorship elections in Ekiti State on 18th June 2022 and Osun State on 16th July 2022.

He added that the Commission is also working on the distribution of voters to polling units across the country following the successful expansion of voter access to polling units.

Yakubu said INEC will soon roll out the plan for achieving a more balanced distribution of voters to the polling units.

“As always, we will engage with stakeholders across the board to ensure a more participatory approach so that the exercise is seamless and voters will have a more pleasant experience at polling units on Election Day,” he said.