2023 General Election: INEC Urges NASS To Pass Electoral Offences Bill To Guarantee Credible Elections
Says New Registrants In Anambra Under The CVR Exercise As At July 25 Is 27,767 .
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has urged the National Assembly to quicken action and pass the Electoral Offences Bill currently before it
INEC said this would guarantee more credible elections in the country especially as regards the 2023 general elections.
INEC National Commissioner in charge of Publicity and Voter Education, Chief Festus Okoye, made the call during a Press briefing at the INEC headquarters, in Awka, Anambra state
He also urged the National Assembly to pass the bill for the establishment of Mobile Courts to conduct on-the-spot trial of any person who commits electoral offence during elections.
Chief Okoye promised that the Commission was ready to give the nation the most credible, free, and, fair election ever had in the country come 2023.
The INEC National Chairman in charge of Publicity and Voter Education further intimated that the Commission had already perfected plans to train all polling officials and operatives of the security agencies including the police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, Directorate of the State Security, DSS, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on what constitutes electoral offence ahead of the polls to ensure that no electoral offender escaped the wrath of the law.
The INEC spokesman also disclosed that in the coming general election, polling units officials would be empowered under the proposed Electoral Offences Bill to order security operatives in their respective polling units to arrest anyone who commits electoral offence, while security operatives attached to polling units would also have powers to arrest anyone who flaunts electoral law and take the person to Court for prosecution.
According to him, the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration, CVR, exercise would not be extended beyond 31st July, 2022, extended deadline so as to enable the Commission process the voters register and comply with the display of same at the 774 local governments and 8,809 poling units across the nation ahead of the 2023 polls within the period stipulated in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Electoral Act.
Chief Okoye further disclosed that the total number of new registrants in Anambra state under the ongoing CVR exercise as at July 25 is 27,767 .
INEC spokesman said: “Vote buying and trading is the greatest challenge that could mar the credibility of the out come of the coming general elections”, but assured that the Commission had perfected plans to ensure that only eligible voters who put up physical appearance at the polling units, and, were authenticated by the Biometric Voters System, BVAS, machine as the actual owner of the Permanent Voter’s Cards, PVC, they possessed would be allowed to cast votes.
He commended community and Church leaders, Presidents-General of town unions, as well as, traditional rulers in Anambra state for their support to the Commission’s staff members during the CVR exercise.
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