INEC places RECs on red alert ahead 2019 elections

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu has charged Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) to work closely with security agencies and identified hotspot to curb likely violence before, during and after the 2019 general election.

He made the call while addressing RECs from the 36 states of the federal who are on Retreat at the Le Meriden Ibom Hotel and Golf Resort, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State in preparations for the 2019 general election, which is 435 days away.

His words: “We need to strengthen and deepen engagements with stakeholders, political parties and security agencies at the state and local levels. We need not wait till election day.

“As the 2019 general elections draw nearer, election security and especially election violence may spike in certain parts of the country. Closely related to the expansion of hotspots of conflict and violence is the increasingly disturbing phenomenon of hate speeches.

“It is important for us to have an accurate idea of possible locations of hotspots and peddlers of hate speech, discuss these with security agencies and examine ways to address them well before the elections.”