The Deputy Country Director, International Foundation for Electoral System (IFES), Dr Uloma Osuala on Wednesday called on the Federal Government to empower the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, financially so as to deliver credible elections in subsequent elections.
Osuala made the appeal in Lagos, stressing that the INEC should ensure the continuous registration of voters.
She disclosed that the continuous improvement on the activities of the nation’s electoral body would help deepen the democratic system of the country.
The Deputy Director noted that a lot of Nigerians were disenfranchised in the last electoral process because the time allocated for voter’s registration was insufficient, adding that INEC could not capture many eligible voters.
“IFES in collaboration with the European Union organised a project called `Mitigation of Violence in Election’ to evaluate the last general election.
“The project has an objective to strengthen capacity of stakeholders in Nigeria to prevent and remedy electoral violence and also provide constructive engagement.
“Even when it was said that the last general election was to some extent successful, we still noted some issues that could be improved upon, like the technical issues with the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).
“Many people did not get and could not vote. There is the need for a continuous voters’ registration, so that it becomes a continual process. We do not have to wait until it is a year to another election before you validate your PVC.
“On the card reader machine, there are few problems that must be fixed to strengthen the efficiency of the machine as well create awareness on the use.
“There should also be continuous training and retraining of INEC officials on the use of the card reader machines and results collation.
“Voter and civic education are part of the global improvement of the education of the people.
“Nigerians must be educated in this field of citizenship and the important role elections play in the democratic process,” she said.
She further urged the Federal Government to provide enough fund for INEC so as to deliver a credible election.
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