2023: INEC worries over fuel scarcity, meets NNPC

• Catholic Church tasks Commission on BVAS
• As Canadian envoy decries politically motivated violence against women

Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has expressed concern over lingering fuel scarcity, warning that it could affect transportation of materials during the general elections.
Consequently, the Commission said it would meet with officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), with a view to mitigating effects.

Yakubu raised the concern, yesterday, when he met with the leadership of National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) to finalise a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with the union in December.

INEC partners NURTW and Marine Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN) to ease movement of materials and officials.

Yakubu said: “The Commission shares your concern about the fuel situation in the country and its impact on transportation on election day. The truth is that our arrangements may be negatively affected by non-availability of products.

“For this reason, the Commission will, this afternoon, meet with NNPCL to look into ways to ameliorate the situation.”

He added: “I wish to assure Nigerians that we will continue to engage every national institution for the success of the 2023 general election.”

This came as Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN) declared that INEC has a huge burden to guarantee that Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines will work in all 176,846 polling units across the country and ensure efficient electronic transmission of results from the polling units.

“This will engender transparency and ensure trust in the electoral process,” CSN said.

Speaking at a media parley in Abuja, yesterday, CSN Secretary General, Rev. Fr Zacharia Samjumi, said there are credible allegations about manipulation of the electoral register in different parts of Nigeria.

He urged INEC to investigate the allegations diligently and ensure anyone implicated is brought to justice.

In a related development, Canadian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Ambassador Jamie Christoff, described as alarming, growing politically motivated attacks against women in the country ahead of the elections.

With less than a month to the poll, the envoy also lamented low participation of women in politics.

Christoff raised the concern at the launch of an election security assessment report by a Civil Society Organisation, ElectHER, in Abuja.

The report provides comprehensive assessment of the country’s security threat within the context of the general elections, with a view to addressing electoral gender-based violence.

Christoff noted that women play a greater role in decision-making process, particularly at the political level, and also contribute to governance.