Joseph Bakare
Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs have been given full assurances of participation in the coming 2023 general elections.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said registration for such people will begin soonest as it assured that no section of the society will be disenfranchised.
The National Commissioner on Information, Festus Okoye, disclosed this on Thursday during a town hall meeting organized by the Nigerian Guild Of Editors.
Okeye said this became necessary as most of the displaced persons in the county have difficulties voting during elections due to Section 47(1) of the Electoral Act which states that “A person intending to vote in an election shall present himself with his voter’s card to a Presiding Officer for accreditation at the polling unit in the constituency in which his name is registered.”
Okoye explained that the challenge stemmed from the fact that displaced persons may no longer be staying in their constituencies or having access to their polling units and their Permanent Voters Cards.
But he confirmed that the commission will recreate constituencies and polling units in clustered camps of Internally Displaced Persons (IDP camps) In the country.
The INEC Commissioner said though the 2023 general elections will come with challenges, the Commission was determined to ensure a free, fair, credible and inclusive election.
He said, “Growing insecurity in several parts of the country and the increasing number of internally displaced persons will pose challenges to the conduct of the 2023 general election.
“For the internally displaced, the Commission will print new Permanent Voters Cards for them and recreate their polling units in their camps and they will be eligible to vote in some of the elections depending on their location and their proximity to their State and Federal Constituencies.”
The town hall meeting with the title “Agenda Setting for Sustainable Democratic Culture” was aimed at setting the pace for the 2023 general Elections.