We recognise the cloud of uncertainty, security challenges in Anambra — Okoye, INEC national commissioner

National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter’s Education Committee, Mr Festus Okoye, who spoke with TAIWO AMODU, says results of the governorship election coming up on Saturday in Anambra State will be uploaded from polling units into the commission’s Viewing Portal for public viewing. Excerpts:

The issue of security is central to this election. What assurances are you getting from security agencies to really douse the fears of the electorate and even your staff?

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is concerned about the security situation in Anambra State.  The Commission is concerned about the safety and security of the ad-hoc staff and other categories of staff that will be deployed for the election. The Commission is concerned about the security of the voters. The Commission is working hard to deliver a good election in Anambra State. We have interfaced and will continue to interface with the security agencies in terms of the protection of the voters, staff and electoral materials and assets. We have enjoined the security agencies to display the highest sense of professionalism, consistent with that expected of security agencies on election duty.

 

You shall be holding a stakeholders meeting this week  in Awka.  IPOB has threatened to frustrate the election on November 6. In seeking for peace, are you looking at an interface with the outlawed body or reaching out to its foot soldiers as stakeholder in Anambra?

The commission will hold stakeholders meeting on Wednesday, November 3, 2021 in Awka. The remit of the commission is to organize, undertake and supervise elections. Our primary constituency revolves around the voters, the political parties and the critical stakeholders in the electoral process. We have interfaced with civil society groups and the media. We will continue to do all that is within our power and mandate to conduct free, fair and credible elections. Our civic and voter education initiatives are directed at the people of Anambra State irrespective of political, ethnic or religious persuasion.

The commission will continue to engage in activities consistent with its constitutional and legal remit. It is the responsibility of other organs and agencies of government to maintain law and order in the federation. We shall continue with our preparations for the election and rely on other organs and agencies of government to provide a safe and secure environment for election. We also expect all the stakeholders to work for peace and stability in the country.

 

In terms of logistics, how prepared is the Commission?

The commission is prepared for the election. We have integrated and updated the voters register and we now have a total of 2, 525, 471 registered voters. We have converted 1,112 voting points into full-fledged polling units and we now have a total of 5, 720 polling units in Anambra State. We have deployed non-sensitive materials to the 21 Local Government Areas of Anambra State. We have trained our electoral officers, assistant electoral officers and supervisory presiding officers. We require at least 26,000 ad-hoc staff and other categories of staff for the election and we have trained them. We have a few shortfalls in terms of ad-hoc staff and we have our strategy of addressing them.  We have identified and prepared the registration area centers and the super registration area centers and prepared them to receive the ad-hoc staff preparatory to their deployment. We recognise the atmosphere and cloud of uncertainty and the security challenges in the state. We have delivered 81,774 newly printed Permanent Voter Cards to the 21 Local Government Areas of Anambra State and have sent messages to the owners to pick them up. We are optimistic that we will deliver on our mandate.

 

Your chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu has said there would not be voting in 86, out of the 5,720 polling units in Anambra. The question to ask, what is responsible for this? Secondly, will it not raise issues about the credibility of the process?

The commission converted 1,112 Voting Points in Anambra State into full-fledged Polling Units and relocated most of them to areas of need and closer to the people. The aim is to decongest polling units and make voting more accessible. This exercise increased the polling units in Anambra to 5, 720. These are virgin polling units as the Voting Points are adjunct of the mother polling units. Due to the pervading insecurity in the State and the pending election the commission did not want to dislocate already registered voters from their mother polling units and locations by engaging in batch transfer.  The implication is that those that engaged in the Continuous Voters Registration did not choose any of the 86 polling units. No one will be disenfranchised and the 86 polling units will not return a single vote on Election Day. The Bimodal Voters Accreditation Device will not be deployed to any of the 86 Polling Units.  We did not print ballot papers and result sheets for the 86 polling units. We have compiled the names and location of the 86 polling units and given to the political parties. We have given the parties the list and location of 894 polling units with 01 to 49 voters. We have been very transparent and all our actions speak to this fact.

 

What are the safeguards against vote buying as we approach the election?

Vote buying constitutes an electoral offence. It is the responsibility of the security agencies especially the Nigerian Police Force to go after vote buyers and sellers. The Police have the responsibility for the arrest, investigation and prosecution of electoral offenders. On our own part, we have reconfigured the architecture of the polling units aimed at protecting the secrecy of the vote. The ban on the use of mobile phones and other photographic devices in the polling units is still in force. Our advocacy should be directed at the vote buyers and sellers as the commission does not buy or sell votes.

 

The cheering news from the Senate is that it has resolved to back its counterpart in the House of Representatives on electronic transmission. Even as the Bill was yet to be passed into law, certain Stakeholders have been calling on INEC to experiment with electronic transmission of results in Anambra. What is your take?

The commission has been uploading polling unit results into its INEC Result Viewing Portal for public viewing. This has increased the transparency of elections and results management process. The Commission will upload the results of the Anambra Governorship election. Unfortunately, the uploaded results cannot be used for collation, declaration and return in view of the obvious impediments in sections 63, 65 and 74 of the Electoral Act. Our collation is still manual and will remain as such pending the amendment of the relevant sections of the law.

 

What is being done to change the narrative?

The commission does not engage in propaganda. The processes and procedures of the commission are clear and transparent. All Political Parties are aware that we use youth corp members as Presiding Officers and they have become a central fixture of our electoral process. Political parties and politicians are aware that we use students of Federal Tertiary Institutions as Assistant Presiding Officers and we will continue to do so. We train them to be professional and above board and we will continue to sanction those that fall below the ethical requirements of the commission. We are the umpire and the regulator and we cannot allow the political parties to regulate us.  We will continue to consult them on critical issues but they cannot dictate to us or hold us hostage.

 

Aside insecurity, what other factors could you attribute as responsible for apathy towards the electoral process. We have seen that in the Continuous Voter’s Registration.

The commission broke a 25-year old jinx and created additional polling units in the country.  This increased Polling Units in the country from 119,974 to 176, 846. We created an online Voter Registration Portal that gave the younger generation of Nigerian the opportunity of online registration.  All these are aimed at making the electoral process and voting a pleasant experience. We will continue to engage in civic and voter education aimed at sensitizing the Nigerian people. However, there are varied reasons for voter apathy. There is the issue of violence in the electoral process. There is the question of perception of whether the votes of the people truly count. There is the challenge of good governance and disengagement from the electoral process. Democracy is a work in progress and we will continue to work on it.

 

Finally and this is hypothetical: what if this coming Saturday election could not hold as a result of violence, despite assurances by even the office of National Security Adviser, Babagana Moguno?

We are not fortunetellers and we do not have the ability to see tomorrow. We are positive that the people of Anambra will surmount the present challenges and come out stronger. This election is about the future of the state and the future of electoral democracy. We cannot plan to fail or plan for violence. We are hopeful that reason will prevail and the election will be smooth.

 

Your final words to political actors ahead of the exercise?

Put the nation first. Be resilient and courageous. Design new, creative and innovative approaches to campaigns and rallies.

YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

We Have Not Had Water Supply In Months ― Abeokuta Residents

In spite of the huge investment in the water sector by the government and international organisations, water scarcity has grown to become a perennial nightmare for residents of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital. This report x-rays the lives and experiences of residents in getting clean, potable and affordable water amidst the surge of COVID-19 cases in the state.