The Independent National Electoral Commission, or INEC, has announced the regulations and standards for the 2023 general election.
Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, made the announcement at a special meeting of the Inter-agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) held in Abuja on Friday to assess security measures for the Ekiti state governorship election.
Prof. Yakubu further stated that the commission has completed preparing for the general election in 2023.
With only 15 days to go until the Ekiti governorship election, Yakubu claims that all of the major actions that were meant to be completed at this point have been successfully completed.
Earlier this week, I led a team of INEC National Commissioners to Ekiti State to examine the commission's election preparations.
We toured our offices in several LGAs, held meetings with our personnel, met with the Council of Obas to urge their Royal Majesties' assistance for peaceful elections, and met with the security agencies. He stated
We also saw continuous ad hoc staff training and the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for simulated voter accreditation in several polling units across the state's three senatorial districts.
"We'll be back in Ekiti State soon to meet with stakeholders and sign the Peace Accord with political parties and candidates under the aegis of the National Peace Committee," he said.
With the implementation of the Electoral Act 2022, it has become important to review the Commission's regulations and guidelines that govern election conduct.
The electoral legal framework is comprised of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), the Electoral Act 2022, and the Regulations and Guidelines.
The Commission has assured Nigerians on multiple occasions that the election regulations and guidelines are being finalized. I am pleased to inform you that the document has been completed and will be delivered to Nigerians soon.
The soft copy will be uploaded to our website, and the link will be published throughout our social media platforms.
With the publication of the Regulations and Guidelines, as well as the Strategic Plan (SP) 2022-2026 and Election Project Plan 2023 earlier this year, the Commission has effectively completed the planning processes for the 2023 General Election nine months ahead of the election.
The training document will also be offered to Nigerians in the coming weeks. The Commission will concentrate its efforts in the future on election administration, including logistics, training, voter education, technology, anti-voting fraud awareness, inclusion measures, and, most importantly, security.
"ICCES will continue to play an important role, and the Commission thanks all security agencies' support," he assured