INEC laments high cost of elections’ logistics

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has described the cost of operation and logistics as enormous; adding that ‘’it’s an exercise the commission continues to review from one election to another’’.

National Commissioner and Chairman of the Board of the Electoral Institute, Prince Adedeji Solomon Shoyebi, made the statement  Wednesday at the opening of a one day round table on “Revisiting the Template for INEC’s Election Operations and Logistics Plan’’.

The round table, according to a statement by Director Information and Voter Education, Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi had the theme, ‘’Focus on the 2019 General Election’’, re-examined the operational and logistical Plan of the Commission for the 2019 elections with a view to identifying challenges and proffering ideas for improved logistical architecture starting from Kogi and Bayelsa elections.

Soyebi said, ‘’the cost of election operation and logistics is enormous and it’s an exercise the Commission continues to review from one election to another’’, adding that the Commission would continue to partner with National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Road Transport Employers’ Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), Nigeria Air Force (NAF) and the Nigeria Navy (NN) in the delivery of men and election materials to areas with difficult terrain.

‘’As an Election Management Body (EMB), the Commission will continue to engage the services of the NURTW, RTEAN, NARTO, Air Force and the Navy especially in delivering of personnel and materials to difficult terrains to ensure the conduct of free, fair, credible and acceptable elections’’, Commissioner Shoyebi said.

He said the Commission was not unaware of the challenges experienced during the 2019 elections but, ‘’the Commission rose up to the occasion and respond to the challenges, and that was why we had successful outings in the 2019 General Elections’’, he added.

In her contributions, National Commissioner Amina Bala Zakari urged all stakeholders to own up the process by dispensing positive and productive attitudes that can promote an enduring electoral environment. She noted that, the trust deficit in the system was a critical issue to deal with – as that has overtime compelled the Commission to spend highly in the acquisition and securing of high-quality election materials to prevent manipulations and counterfeits, which she said was not the case in many Countries.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Director-General of the TEI, Dr Sa’ad Umar Idris said the Round Table was designed to examine ‘’…factors that affected the smooth implementation of the operations and logistic plan (of the Commission) in the conduct of the 2019 General Elections’’.

The Round Table was attended by senior members of the Academic Community, Civil Society Organizations, Development and Elections Experts, as well as Consultants who made inputs into the on-going discussion.

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