By Harry Awurumibe, Editor Abuja Bureau
Determined to ensure a seamless movement of sensitive and non-sensitive materials on Election Day, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has sought stronger support from the Nigerian Armed Forces especially the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) with a view to addressing the issues of their delivery ahead of the Ekiti and Osun state governorship elections as well as the 2023 General Elections.
This is even as the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal, Isiaka Oladayo Amao, has said a bilateral Committee will be set up immediately to look into the request of the Commission for effective elections logistic delivery.
Chairman of INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, made this call, when he led a team of National Commissioners, and other top management staff of the Commission on a courtesy visit to the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal, Isiaka Oladayo Amao, at the Nigerian Airforce Headquarters, Abuja on Wednesday, 8th June, 2022.
Yakubu noted that election constitutes the most extensive mobilisation and complex logistics operations that could happen in a country in peacetime, and added that in handling such a huge national assignment, the Commission cannot do it alone.
According to the INEC boss; “every national asset must be mobilised. It is in realisation of this objective that the law empowers the Commission to seek the support of the security agencies in general and the Armed Forces in particular in delivering materials for election and the protection of election officials”.
Explaining the huge logistics task ahead of the Commission in 2023, Yakubu said that; “on 25th February and 11th March 2023, the Commission will deploy personnel and materials to about 190,000 voting and collation locations nationwide for 1,491 executive and legislative offices across Nigeria.
“These activities must take place simultaneously, stretching over 923,768km2 within a space of six voting hours (8.30am – 2.30pm) involving a projected population of 90 million voters”.
To this end, the INEC Chairman said the purpose of the visit was to “explore more effective ways of ensuring that working together as provided by law, we address aspects of the perennial issue of logistics in our elections in which we believe the Air Force has a critical role to play in the movement of materials. This will be extended to other Armed Services in our determination to efficiently deliver materials and more efficiently serve Nigerians on Election Day”.
Harping on the urgency of the need for stronger ties, Professor Yakubu said “There is no time to waste. The 2023 General Election is only 261 days from today. However, the Ekiti State Governorship election is holding in the next 10 days on Saturday 18th June 2022 while the Osun Governorship election holds in 38 days on Saturday 16th July 2022”.
“We will seek the support of the Air Force in handling the delivery of outstanding election materials to the two States while the Commission bears responsibility for all subsequent deployment within the States to the Local Government Areas and beyond as has been the practice”.
Continuing, he said: “In doing so, I wish to reassure Nigerians that the Commission will always work together with all stakeholders, particularly agents of political parties and candidates, observers and the media to inspect and accompany the movement of all materials to various locations in a transparent manner”.
In his response, the Chief of Air Staff commended INEC under the leadership of Professor Mahmood Yakubu for the steady improvement in the electoral process.
Air Marshal Amao said the Airforce in its Social Responsibility commitment to INEC, is preparing its transport aircrafts to assist the Commission with its set objective.
He assured that the Airforce will convey electoral materials to designated areas, and stated that a bilateral Committee will be set up immediately to look into the request of the Commission for effective logistic delivery.
