The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Friday said elections would never be postponed at the eleventh hour over logistics challenges.
The INEC chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, said this in Abuja at the inauguration of the Electoral Logistics Committee (ELOC) for the 2023 general elections.
He said;
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“We are determined that never again should elections be postponed at the eleventh hour on account of logistics.”
He said that the ELOC committee chaired by a national commissioner was distinct from the commission’s Electoral Operations and Logistics Committee (EOLC).
Yakubu said:
“The ELOC is an inter-agency committee established close to general elections for a specific objective. It is, therefore, ad hoc in nature.”
He said the committee was established by INEC to ensure the speedy and safe delivery of huge quantities of sensitive and non-sensitive materials for the 2023 general elections.
He said:
“The logistics for the clearance, handling, custody, delivery and distribution of enormous quantities of election materials is the biggest operation Nigeria undertakes every four years.
“For effective coordination, the commission believes that every national asset must be mobilised. For the movement of election materials and protection of personnel nationwide, section 27(3) of the Electoral Act, 2022 empowers the commission to seek for the support of the armed forces.
“Accordingly, the three armed services (Army, Navy and Air Force) are members of the ELoC. Similarly, the Nigeria Police Force, being the lead agency in election security, is also a member, as well as sister security agencies.
“The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) are also members, pursuant to their statutory responsibilities for the clearance and release of materials at seaports and other entry points into the country.”
He urged members of the committee to commence their meeting immediately and submit periodic reports through the chairman of the committee, who is also an INEC national commissioner.
He said:
“I urge you to commence your meeting immediately and be submitting periodic reports through the chairman of the committee who is an INEC National Commissioner.
“In this way, we will be tracking progress and know well in advance potential weak links in the logistics chain.
“We will also be updating Nigerians of progress we are making on a regular basis. We are determined that never again should elections be postponed at the eleventh hour on account of logistics.
“That is why we are mobilising every national asset and starting the engagement early. On this note, it is my pleasure to formally inaugurate the Electoral Logistics Committee for the 2023 general election.”
He also said that the country’s various airports, aviation agencies like the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), and the Nigerian Air Space Management Agency (NAMA), among others, would be needed to play important roles in the forthcoming elections.
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