The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has admitted that insecurity and infrastructure combined to compound its logistics deployment during the exercise.
This was disclosed by the commission’s chairman, Mahmood Yakubu at a post-election review meeting with the Electoral Officers and Leaders of Transport Unions held in Abuja.
He said: “There is no doubt that the success of any election primarily depends on the ability to deploy personnel and materials to various locations.
In Nigeria, this involves the biggest logistic deployment the nation periodically undertakes across vast terrains and often difficult topography.
“This has been a perennial challenge over time but it is now compounded by issues of infrastructure and insecurity.
However, the commission has to deploy personnel and materials not only for Election Day activities but electoral activities, in general, covering the period before, during and after the elections.”
The chairman of the Planning, Monitoring and Strategic Committee, Rhoda Gumus, in establishing the purpose of the review, said: “We are here to undertake a comprehensive post-election review and to learn critical lessons for future Elections.
“We are aware, that the just concluded 2023 general election involved the nationwide deployment of both personnel and quantity of materials to the State offices, Local Government Areas, Wards, and polling Units, across the length and breadth of the country.
“The Electoral officers are the field workers of the commission, on election day, who undertake leadership functions at the LGA levels. We have no doubt that the electoral officers have demonstrated their wealth of experience gained during a series of training.
“Today, we are here to attend to the question of “How far and how well” we performed in our respective duties during the election. As field workers, we expect to hear from you the challenges encountered and how you resolved them in the field.
“Your key recommendations of this review exercise will enhance deployment and reverse logistics in our electoral operations.”
THIS IS NOT NEWS.
THERE WAS NEVER A TIME INEC DENIED CHALLENGES IN THE CONDUCT OF THE ELECTIONS.
INEC already informed Nigerians about the GLITCH that affected transmitting some of the results in REAL TIME.
UNFAIR REPORTAGE IS ANOTHER MEAN TO CAUSE CHAOS IN THE POLITY.
FAKE news at the worst elb.