Don’t postpone elections, CODE urge INEC

Civil Society Organization, Connected Development (CODE) is appealing to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to postpone the general election scheduled to hold on the 25th of Febuary and 11th of march 2023.

CODE Executive Director, Hamza Lawal made the call at the launch of the organisation’s 2023 pre-election assessment report on Wednesday, in Abuja.

There are insinuations that INEC might bow to pressure to postpone the general election as a result of some of the challenges comfronting the country.

Some of these challenges according to CODE include, but not limited to burning of INEC facilities and attack of its personnel, banditry, kidnappings, terrorists attack, fuel scarcity and most recently cash scarcity.

The Executive Director said although the impact of these, poise great threat to the conduct of the elections, INEC should go ahead with the already scheduled date for the elections with adequate security.

He also called for the injection of more cash into the economy to prevent vote buying and voter apathy on election day.

According to him, the availability of more cash in the last few days before the elections would strengthen the capacity of the Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct elections without hitches.

Also speaking, the Director of Governance and Democracy for CODE, Emmanuel Njoku noted that report identified more than 134 attack on INEC facilities from 2019 till date.

While expressing fear that insecurity might affect voter turn out, Njoku urged INEC to work with security agencies to ensure that the electorates are protected.