The Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has expressed concern over the escalating insecurity in the country as the 2023 general elections draw near.
Nigeria has been beset by insecurity with the Boko Haram insurgents and bandits killing and abducting citizens in the Northern part of the country.
Yakubu, who addressed stakeholders at the second quarterly meeting of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) in Abuja, however, noted that with just nine months to the elections, there was still enough time to tackle the insecurity.
He also urged political parties to keep to the time table for the elections.
The INEC chief said: “The general security situation in the country and its impact on the electoral process is a source of concern to the commission.
However, we are confident that with nine months to the 2023 general election, there is enough time to respond to the security challenges and secure the nation for elections to take place nationwide.
“The timetable for the election has also been released. Let us not wait until a few weeks to the election before we realise that time is not on our side and begin to seek for extension of timelines. The time to act is now. We wish to reassure the security agencies that we will continue to work cooperatively with you to ensure the success of all forthcoming elections and electoral activities.
“We have tasked our Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) to provide basic data on areas of security challenges in their states, including citizens living in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps.
“Our idea is to harvest the data as a basis for further engagement with the security agencies as well as devising the best way to provide electoral services to all Nigerians under all circumstances.”
