INEC begins 2023 post election review, meets electoral officers, transport union leaders

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has met with Electoral Officers and Leaders of Transport Unions as part of efforts towards ensuring transparency in coming elections in Nigeria.

CAPITAL POST reports that the Commission held a meeting with the Resident Electoral Commissioners, RECs, two weeks ago on Tuesday 4th July 2023, where it announced the commencement of the review of the 2023 General Election.

The Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, who was Speaking during the post-election review meeting with electoral officers on Wednesday in Abuja , said the interface was part of the post election review meeting of the 2023 general election.

He said, “I urge you to lend your wealth of experience to the discussions in order to identify areas of strengths and weaknesses for immediate improvement in forthcoming elections, especially the three off-cycle Governorship elections in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi States scheduled to hold on Saturday 11th November 2023.”

Yakubu added, The meeting therefore provides an opportunity to interact on a wide range of themes that covering of which ten critical areas are highlighted for discussion:

I. General State of Preparedness for the 2023 General Election, ii. Voters Registration Process and the associated issues of Adequacy of Timing, Display of Voter Register for Claims and Objections, Clean-up of Voter Register, PVC Collection etc.;

iii.Recruitment, training, deployment and remuneration of ad hoc staff, including specific issues of mode of recruitment, conduct of training, timing, adequacy, effectiveness and utility of e-learning training platforms, and strategy for efficient payment of ad hoc staff.

iv.Matters arising from the implementation of the expansion of voter access to Polling Units; v.Receipt and deployment of election materials; vi.Technology during elections including the various portals for nomination of ad hoc staff, candidates, accreditation of observers, media, polling/collation agents as well as voter registration, accreditation and result management;

Others are, vii.Election security;
viii.Election Day processes with reference to: i.Forward logistics in terms of transportation of personnel and delivery of materials to Registration Area Centres (RACs) and Polling Units (PUs), including specific issues of engagement with transport unions and the implementation of State-level obligations; and ii.Reverse logistics and movement of personnel and retrieval of field assets.

“ix Inventory of election materials, particularly the status and storage of reusable assets such as ballot boxes, voting cubicles and electric power generators etc.; and xPhysical conditions of storage and other immovable facilities.”

In attendance are the Electoral Officers (EOs). The National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) and the Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN).