TheCable

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it is concerned about the safety of its officials during the 2023 elections.

Speaking on Tuesday at the national endowment for democracy event in the United States, Mahmood Yakubu, INEC chairman, said the commission has concerns about the 2023 general election.

The INEC chairman said one of such concerns is the “perennial” issue of insecurity in parts of the country.

“I say it is a perennial issue because at the end of the day, it is nothing new. However, the dimension of the insecurity is concerning in the sense that in the past, it was localised or confined to a particular part of the country — the north-east. But now, it is more widespread and we are keeping our eyes particularly on the north-west and the south-eastern parts of the country,” he said.

“Elections are conducted by human beings. We worry about the security of our officials, voters, and the materials to be deployed. Without them, we cannot conduct elections.

“We have spoken to the security agencies. They have assured us that the situation will improve before the elections. So, fingers crossed. Those who are supposed to secure the environment have assured us that they will secure the environment for us to conduct elections. Our responsibility is to conduct elections.”

Also speaking on the effect of social media on the elections, Yakubu said the commission “does not support censorship”, as social media has been a force for good.

“We believe that the antidote to fake news is greater transparency and openness and we have been demonstrating greater transparency and openness,” he said.

“The social media plays a very important role in voter education and deepening democracy, but it also has the potential of skewing the narrative with the wrong information that  impugn the integrity of officials or seek to delegitimise the commission and the process either before, during or after the elections. Publication of fake election results is a potential trigger for violence.

“What we have done is to continue to deepen our cooperation and relationship particularly with the organised social media.

“In Nigeria, there is a forum called the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP). They have over 80 members and only last week, I was in Lagos and engaged with them. We’ll continue to engage with them. But the problem is not always with the organised online platforms, but with the lone rangers or groups using platforms that complicate matters for everyone.”