By Emegwoako C. Paschal
According to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), attacks on political parties during campaigns and denial of access to public facilities for electioneering activities are a precursor to violence on election day and beyond.
Prof. Mahmood, the INEC Chairman who raised the concern, also urged security agencies and other stakeholders to “tackle the smoke before it snowballs into a major inferno.”
Yakubu made the announcement yesterday (Friday, October 28th) at the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) third quarterly meeting in Abuja.
He stated that, in addition to vote buying, decisive action must be taken during campaigns to combat negative mobilization, incitement, and violence.
The INEC chairman stated that the best way to deal with the threat was to effectively enforce the electoral law, and he called for a collaborative effort to ensure the arrest and prosecution of violators of the provisions, particularly Sections 92-93 of the Electoral Act 2022.
He stated that as the 2023 general election approaches, the commission will continue to assess the country’s security situation and its potential impact on election administration.
Yakubu revealed that INEC is currently working to integrate its Election Risk Management (ERM) and Election Violence Mitigation and Advocacy Tool (EVMAT) for more effective risk assessment and mitigation measures ahead of the general election.
He also stated that the commission will continue to share information with security agencies and, most importantly, will collaborate to ensure that elections are held peacefully and on time across the country.
He stated that the governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun taught important lessons that will aid INEC’s planning for the 2023 general election.
The chairman also stated that one of the concerning practices carried out during elections by desperate individuals is vote buying and selling at polling units on election day, which ICCES has previously discussed.
The National Security Adviser (NSA) and co-chairman of ICCES, Mohammed Babagana-Monguno, stated that security agencies were strategizing to counter the rising wave of violence in the country.
The National Peace Committee (NPC), represented by Sanusi Galadima, expressed hope that the second phase of the signing of the “Peace Accord” by the NPC, scheduled for January 2023, will be fruitful in deescalating the violent trend.
