ELECTIONS 2023: INEC to engage 1,265,227 officials

 

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will engage a total of 1,265,227 officials for the 2023 general election.

Giving a breakdown of expected electoral.personnel, National Commissioner and Chairman Information and Voters Education Committee, Barrister Festus Okoye said 707, 384 Presiding Officers and Assistant Presiding Officers, about 17, 685 Supervisory Presiding Officers, 9,620 Collation/Returning Officer, and 530,538 Polling Unit Security Officials will be engaged .

He gave the figure in Lagos on Monday during a Voter Education and Publicity training on strategic communication.

Assuring Nigerians of preparedness of the Commission to conduct seamless election,Okoye said INEC will deploy the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) to the accredited 176,846 Polling units across the nation.

The National Commissioner said “for the 2023 General Election, the Commission will recruit 707, 384 Presiding Officers and Assistant Presiding Officers, about 17, 685 Supervisory Presiding Officers, 9,620 Collation/Returning Officer, as well as 530,538 Polling Unit Security Officials, making a total of 1,265,227.

“All these categories of staff are undergoing training and the training of others will commence in a few days.

“The Commission is engaging all institutions and critical national institutions supervising critical national assets.

“The Commission has revised and signed MOU with the National Union of Road Transport Workers and the Marine Workers Union of Nigeria.

“The Commission needs and will hire at least 100,000 buses and 4,000 boats for the election and the drivers and workers to be engaged must also subscribe to the Oath of Neutrality that will be administered by the Commission.

“All the sensitive and non sensitive materials required for the conduct of the 2023 General Election are being moved to location.

“Security is being beefed up in the State and Local Government Offices of the Commission and all the materials required for the election will be in place at least a week to the election”.

Maintaining that the Commission will stick to it’s guidelines and scheduled activities for the 2023 polls and that the election will be technology driven, Okoye said, “the use of the BVAS for voter verification and authentication is a mandatory provision of section 47(2) of the Electoral Act and every registered voter must undergo the process of accreditation.

“The Commission will also upload Polling Unit level results (Form EC8A) and the accreditation data to the INEC Result Viewing Portal.

“This is also a mandatory provision of section 50, 60 and 64 of the Electoral Act 2022.

“The Commission is engaging all institutions and critical national institutions supervising critical national assets.

“The Commission has revised and signed MOU with the National Union of Road Transport Workers and the Marine Workers Union of Nigeria.

“The Commission needs and will hire at least 100,000 buses and 4,000 boats for the election and the drivers and workers to be engaged must also subscribe to the Oath of Neutrality that will be administered by the Commission.

“All the sensitive and non sensitive materials required for the conduct of the 2023 General Election are being moved to location.

“Security is being beefed up in the State and Local Government Offices of the Commission and all the materials required for the election will be in place at least a week to the election”.

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