The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has ruled out the postponement of the 2023 general election on account of logistics challenges.
INEC’s Commissioner for Information and Voter Education, Festus Okoye, gave the commission’s assurance yesterday when he featured on a Channels TV Politics Today, while stating that instead it is prepared to organise the elections as planned.
INEC had fixed the presidential, national assembly elections for February 25, 2023 and governorship, state assembly elections for March 11, 2023.
In response to concerns that the commission is likely to postpone like it did in 2019, Okoye disclosed that the INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, has assured that the elections won’t be shifted because of logistics issues.
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Okoye said the commission has the complement of all it needs to conduct the 2023 election, adding that they have not gone to complain to the National Assembly.
He said, “We are committed to the conduct of free, fair, transparent and inclusive elections and we are working assiduously to make sure we give Nigerians the best election ever. And that is our commitment to the people of Nigeria and we are not going to fail.”
On the president’s statement that it has given INEC all it needs for the 2023 polls, Okoye said, “We have not complained to the National Assembly that we are not prepared”
When questioned about the 2019 experience when the commission was silent over funding issues, he said, “The chairman of the commission, Mahmoud Yakubu, has promised the people of this country that under his watch no election will be postponed or rescheduled on account of logistics or logistics challenges and we are committed to that.
“As of today we have the full compliments of what we need to prosecute the elections.”
He added that elections are a multi-stakeholder venture and shared responsibility, even as he said INEC will not fail in its own responsibility.
