The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has urged electoral officers in Edo State to strengthen threat administration and preparedness forward of the 2027 common elections to stop operational errors and safety breaches.
Mr Obo Effanga, Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Edo, gave the recommendation on Thursday at a sensitisation workshop on Electoral Risk Management (ERM) in Benin.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) stories that the workshop was organised for electoral officers from native authorities areas and members of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) within the state.
Effanga mentioned each election introduced distinctive challenges, requiring officers to plan fastidiously and stay alert to potential dangers.
“If you think all the elections you’ve done in the past meant you are an expert in it, please look at this next election as very important, more important than all the other elections you have carried out,” he mentioned.
He cited an incident throughout an off-cycle election during which greater than 30 individuals reportedly voted at a polling unit however the Biometric Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) didn’t document any accreditation.
According to him, the error was found on the ward collation centre, placing the polling-unit outcome susceptible to cancellation.
The REC mentioned the official concerned, in spite having studied laptop science and acquired coaching, didn’t alert a supervisor when the issue occurred.
“The public is not interested in excuses. They are interested in results,” he mentioned, urging officers to report technical difficulties promptly.
Effanga additionally mentioned INEC is investigating considerations over suspected synthetic intelligence-generated pictures and repeated photos within the preliminary on-line voters’ register.
He defined that such photos alone wouldn’t allow anybody to vote, as voters should seem bodily for accreditation and identification verification.
The REC careworn that efficient threat administration required officers to anticipate potential failures and make contingency plans, together with offering backup gear.
He cited INEC’s provision of backup BVAS gadgets for instance.
He additionally recalled the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election as a reminder of the far-reaching penalties electoral failures might have.
In her remarks, Mrs Emotimi Nicky-Cleopas, INEC Administrative Secretary in Edo, recounted an assault through the 2023 governorship and House of Assembly elections in Rivers, during which a younger man was killed at a polling unit.
She mentioned attackers reportedly arrived by speedboat and opened fireplace on a number of polling items in sparsely populated communities, in spite prior identification of flashpoints and notification of safety companies.
Describing the incident as traumatic, Nicky-Cleopas urged electoral officers to report threats instantly and keep shut contact with safety companies.
“Please be proactive. Don’t hide anything. If you see a threat, hear a threat, please report it immediately,” she mentioned. (NAN)
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