The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has begun a one-day capacity-building workshop for voter education ahead of the conduct of the 2023 general elections. 

While addressing the participants in Yola on Monday, Jamil Elyakub, the administrative secretary of the commission, said the workshop’s essence was to expose them to the imperative of voter education.

He said this was especially on voting procedure, when to vote, why to vote and where to vote.

“This workshop was organised in collaboration with the United States Development Programmer UNDP,” said Mr Elyakub.

According to him, the participants are drawn from INEC, media organisations and civil society groups, saying the exercise was a zonal event which comprised 100 participants.

The official added that the participants were carefully selected across Bauchi, Adamawa, Yobe, Borno, Taraba and Gombe.

Mr Elyakub also explained that appropriate voter education ensured free, fair and credible elections, stressing that INEC, as an electoral umpire, was fully committed and determined to conduct free and fair elections by 2023.

The INEC official appealed for the inclusion of voter education in school curriculum, urging the media to sensitise the electorate on electoral responsibilities and rights.

Mathew Alawo, the UNDP official, commended the commission for organising the workshop, especially considering that 2023 was fast approaching.

He said 95 million Nigerians were expected to vote during the 2023 general elections hence the need for proper voter education, adding that an educated electorate was the bedrock for democracy and the rule of law.

He assured that UNDP would continue to support the institutionalisation of democratic governance in Nigeria.

(NAN)