The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reassured that it will not support any candidate or political party in the forthcoming general elections, as it is only interested in the electoral process.
Its Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, said this when he addressed the Supervisory Presiding Officers (SPOs) of the commission for the elections in Abuja.
Yakubu urged them to be committed to their oath of neutrality and allegiance to Nigeria.
He advised them not to see their job as a service to INEC, but to the country as a whole, in which they are equal stakeholders.
“The commission is determined that the 2023 general election will be the best, and you are the people that will help the commission to make it happen and help to ensure that Nigeria has a pleasant experience on election day.
“INEC is not a political party. INEC has no candidate in the election. Our only interest is in the processes. The choice of who becomes what in Nigeria is left to the Nigerian people to decide,” he said.
Yakubu described the work of the SPOs as critical to the success of the 2023 general election, urging them to uphold the integrity of the process.
“You are the people who supervise those who will work at the most important level, the Polling Units (PUs) level. That is the only place where voting takes place.
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“When it goes to the state level, they are collating results from the PUs and when they come to Abuja, where we collate the presidential result, it would have passed through all these processes.
“So, by the time the results come to Abuja, Nigerians would have known the outcome of the election,” he said.
Yakubu added, “Our responsibility is simply to collate. So, you are playing a very critical role. What will help you help the commission, help Nigerians and the electoral process is your Integrity as individuals.”
He said the training was going on simultaneously in all states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), adding that the training was a further reassurance to Nigerians of INEC’s readiness to conduct the election on February 25 and March 11.
“Today, we are commencing the training of the most critical staff for the 2023 general election. Between today and tomorrow, we will train the PSOs.
“In the FCT, we require 282 SPOs, but we are training more than that now. We have added 70 to make it a total of 352 in case some are unable to make it on Election Day for one reason or another, we have a buffer.
“What is happening in FCT is happening in all the 36 days of the federation at the same time.
“Between today, February 11, and tomorrow, February 12, we will train the SPOs. Then on Tuesday, February 14 to Thursday, February 16, we will train the Presiding Officers and Assistant Presiding Officers (APO) 1, 2, and 3,” he said.
*INEC set to decongest overcrowded polling units to ease voting
Meanwhile, INEC yesterday said overcrowded polling units will be decongested to smaller polling units in the same location on Election Day.
The commission said the decongestion would ease voting processes.
The commission said the list of registered voters in the 176,846 polling units nationwide will be displayed, urging eligible voters to confirm their location on the day of the election.
The announcement read “The Independent National Electoral Commission in the exercise of its powers under Section 40(2) of the Electoral Act, 2022 has allotted voters from overcrowded polling units to less congested polling units within the same location to promote a more pleasant and stress-free voting experience on Election Day.
“Please visit the INEC’s Voter Verification System on: www.cvr.inecnigeria.org/vvs or voters.inecnigeria.org to check your name on the register of voters and confirm the location of your polling unit where you will vote on Election Day.
“Furthermore, the list of registered voters in the 176,846 polling units nationwide will be on display at each polling unit before Election Day.
“Eligible voters are encouraged to visit their polling units to check for their name on the register and confirm the location of their polling unit where they will vote on Election Day.
