The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it has the capacity and courage to face challenges that may arise during the 2023 general election.

“We recognise the fact that the 2023 elections will be challenging,” INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, said. “But we have the capacity, and we also have the courage to face those challenges in a very broad and courageous manner.”

Mr Yakubu spoke at the Yiaga Africa post-election roundtable and public presentation of the final report on the observation of the 2022 Ekiti and Osun governorship elections.

The chairman, represented by Festus Okoye, INEC’s spokesperson, said the commission would continue to listen and learn valuable lessons from the Edo, Ondo, Anambra, Ekiti and the Osun governorship elections in shaping the approach to the 2023 general election.

 “Our assurance is that this commission will not lower the bar, and we are going to continue to upload polling unit results to our INEC results viewing portal. The commission will not depart from it,” he said.

Mr Yakubu assured that citizens would be involved in every inch of the process in terms of knowing what is going on at the various polling units through INEC’s processes and procedures.

He encouraged civil society organisations, the media, political parties and all the critical stakeholders to study the Electoral Act 2022 and have a working knowledge of the act.

He said unless there is good knowledge of the document, it would be very difficult to follow the trajectory of the electoral process, the innovations and some of the changes the commission would make.

The INEC boss also pleaded for the understanding and cooperation of Nigerians.

Hussain Abdu, board chair, Yiaga Africa, said the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections marked a very significant turning point for electoral history in the country.

He said this was more important as they were held after the Electoral Act amendment, particularly the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).

He, however, said that logistics remained one major challenge of the electoral process.

Mr Abdu also called on INEC to address the challenge of disproportional polling units where some units would be overcrowded with thousands of voters whereas other areas would be scanty.

He urged INEC to work on its logistics and the distribution of voters to polling units, among others and called on all stakeholders to work collectively towards achieving a better electoral process ahead of the 2023 elections.

The Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) chairman, Yabagi Sani, advised Yiaga Africa and INEC to work closely with political parties ahead of 2023 because the election would be a watershed in the journey of entrenching democracy in the country.

Mr Sani urged INEC not to rest on its oars but to continue to work to build the confidence of citizens to own the process and promote democracy.

“As political parties, we observed that there is still a lacuna that all of us must have to weigh in, that is the transmission of electoral results from polling units.

“Yes, you transmit the results to the INEC portal, but the biggest issue, which is why our elections are questionable, is the issue of collation because there is a saying that it is not those that vote that determines who wins but those who count,” he added.

(NAN)