The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has so far recruited 814,453 ad- hoc staff for the conduct of the 2019 general elections.
INEC also said that the 2019 General Elections will be the largest single-day peacetime logistics and security undertaking by the commission since 1999 with 84 million voters, 91 political parties, 23,213 candidates vying for 1558 positions, involving over 814,000 electoral officials.
Briefing Nigerian leaders at the Tuesday’s council of state meeting, INEC chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu who said all its budgetary allocations had been released, added that the 2015 General Elections was a watershed in the history of Nigeria’s democracy.
“The commission is fully aware of the enormity of conducting the 2019 General Elections and will spare no effort safeguarding the integrity and credibility of the elections to consolidate democracy,” Yakubu said.
The INEC chairman who said the commission had identified and recruited 814,453 ad- hoc staff for the election, added that training for the outsourced personnel will commence on 23rd January 2019.
“Identification and recruitment of 814,453 ad- hoc staff for the election is concluded and training will commence on 23rd January 2019,” Yakubu said.
The head of the Nigeria’s election management body, Yakubu, who is also the chairman of the ECOWAS Network of Election Commission (ECONEC), illustrated arrangement for the timely receipt and speedy distribution of sensitive materials including the ballot papers and result sheets.
In the presentation obtained by LEADERSHIP, Yakubu also briefed the Nigerian leaders concerning the MoU INEC signed with Transport Workers Unions for the deployment and retrieval of election personnel and materials in a safe and timely manner.
“Budgetary allocation has been released to the commission,”Yakubu said, referring to the INEC budget of about N189.8 billion.
Yakubu’s presentation which covered areas of election delimitation data, election facts and figures, timetable and schedule of activities for the 2019 general elections, implementation of other scheduled activities, continuous voters’ registration, collection of PVC, political party activities, election, security, stakeholder engagements, logistics and what INEC has done in promoting voter mobilisation and inclusivity, said they are up to the task.
Yakubu said the commission has undertaken election risk assessment from 1st June, 2018 to 9th January, 2019, adding that regular engagements with security agencies through ICCES at National, State and LGA level to review and assess election security threats have helped in that regards.
He said security personnel for election duty are being trained while security deployment plans were being finalised with the security agencies to secure the elections.
Collaboration with the international community and development partners – United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), International Foundation for Electoral Support (IFES), European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES) and others based on the commission’s express needs have all being done,”Yakubu added.
