Akwa Ibom REC declares readiness to partner groups for credible results

Akwa Ibom State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mike Igini, has said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is ready to collaborate with all sections of the society as long as such cooperation would ensure free, fair and credible election in 2023.

He said this when the Regional Coordinator of Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, Region 14, Akwa Ibom State Directorate of Politics and Governance (DPG), Mr. Peter Inyang, and his team visited him at the INEC state headquarters at the weekend.

Igini noted that it was important that citizens get actively involved in electoral processes, stressing that issues that affect human life, socially, politically, everything were all embedded in politics and political process. 

“All other stakeholders, everybody, more than ever before, given what is going on in the country, must come together to ensure that the 2023 election should be one that all adults of full age and competent understanding qualified to vote, get themselves registered.

“If you don’t participate, given that all these issues are embedded in politics and political processes, you will be completely excluded in terms of their internal and external outcome.” 

He thanked the RCCG team for their initiative, saying the commission had been looking forward to such collaboration, given the fact that the 2023 elections were around the corner.

Earlier, the visiting team requested the collaboration of INEC to facilitate the registration and collection of Permanent Voter Cards for its members.

According to the leader of the team, Mr. Peter Inyang, the DPG was created in January 2022 to coordinate the affairs and activities of its members interested in seeking political offices, among others.

He said: “One of the major challenges is that, even with the large membership base RCCG has in Akwa Ibom State, many of our members, who are eligible to vote do not have PVCs.

“Consequently, fulfilling our key objective, which is to facilitate registration, collection of PVCs by/for RCCG members and encourage them to participate in the voting process in 2023, is a very difficult task.”