The Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to make adequate provision for the over two million displaced people in the state ahead of the 2023 general elections.
Platinum Post Newspaper made the call at a panel discussion titled “Security Challenges and their Implications for the 2023 General Elections” organized in Abuja on Tuesday.
The governor, Professor Magdalene Dura, represented by his Special Adviser on Millennium Development Goals, said INEC should set up polling units in IDP camps and also engage its members as ad-hoc workers during the elections.
This, according to him, would guarantee the credibility of the elections in such centers, giving a sense of belonging.
“There is a need for the government and INEC to ensure the credibility of the electoral process,” he said.
He also expressed concern about the fate of more than two million displaced people in his state, who were left homeless by the insurgency.
He called on the Federal Government to come to the aid of the IDPs in Benue, just as it is doing with other IDPs in other parts of the country.
“There is a lack of equity and justice in Nigeria. INEC must have comprehensive data on IDPs so that they can create polling units for IDPs,” he said.
Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State, who presided over the event, stressed the need to ensure the safety and security of voters, election workers, materials, candidates, party agents, observers and media professionals during the election process.
Represented by his Chief of Staff, Usman Mohammed, Ganduje urged the electorate to shun acts of violence and other negative tendencies that could mar the conduct of the 2023 general elections.
IN
