By Ezeocha Nzeh
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has disclosed that the regulations and guidelines for the conduct of the 2023 general elections will be released to the Nigerian public next week.
Chairman of the Commission Prof Yakubu Mahmoud, who made the disclosure during the second quarterly meeting with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) at the INEC headquarters in Abuja, said beyond the conduct of primaries by political parties, the Commission is required to make Regulations and Guidelines for the implementation of the provisions of the Electoral Act. These Regulations and Guidelines, together with the Constitution and the Electoral Act, constitute the electoral legal framework that govern the conduct of elections.
“I am glad to report that the Commission will finalize the Regulations and Guidelines next week to guide the conduct of future elections, including the forthcoming Ekiti and Osun Governorship elections as well as the 2023 General Election”.
He stated further that the 14 activities listed in the timetable are being steadily implemented, adding that all the parties have forwarded the schedules of their primaries to the Commission, while some have commenced the process of choosing their candidates by conducting Ward and Local Government congresses.
“There are many progressive provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 which require clear understanding to guide implementation. One of such provisions is the electronic transmission of election results. At this meeting, we will discuss the implementation of the provisions of Sections 60, 62 and 64 of the Electoral Act 2022 regarding the management of election results. We have prepared a document for discussion which is included in your folders for this meeting.
“Section 54(2) of the Electoral Act makes provision for assistive materials for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs). This is another progressive provision of the new Electoral Act. Over the years, we have worked with the disability community in designing some of the assistive materials such as the Braille Ballot Guide and the provision of magnifying glasses for visually challenged voters and posters for the deaf.
“We are also working together to collect disaggregated data for PWDs to assist the Commission in optimally deploying the assistive materials. To deepen our collaboration, a meeting will be convened as early as next week with the disability community to discuss the implementation of the provisions of the new Electoral Act on inclusivity.
“As you are aware, the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise ends next month- 30th June 2022. Both the online pre-registration as well as the physical registration at designated centres are taking place simultaneously. However, online pre-registrants would require time to schedule appointments to complete their registration physically at designated centers.
“For this reason, the Commission has decided to suspend the online registration in the next three weeks from 30th May 2022. This will enable the online registrants to complete their registration physically at the designated centres before the exercise is suspended on 30th June 2022. This will enable the Commission to clean up the registration data, print the Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) and compile the register ahead of the 2023 General Election”.
