Ahead of the Sept. 22 governorship election in Osun, the Independent National Electoral Commission ((INEC) on Monday held an assessment workshop for its electoral officers, head of operations, and assistant electoral officers.
The INEC chairman, Prof. Muhammad Yakubu, speaking at the opening of the training, said the event was to review the “readiness assessment of the red zones’’.
Yakubu added that it was also to intimate the implementers with the operational requirements for the zones.
The INEC chairman was represented by his Chief Technical Adviser, Prof. Bolade Eyinla.
He said that the red-zone-performance review was to access, identify threats, challenges and also evolve appropriate measures to mitigate them.
The INEC chairman said that the training would also assess the implementation-status of all electoral activities in order to ensure that election plan was on track n ahead of the Election Day.
According to him, the commission has achieved 12 out of the 14 activities on its schedule-plan for the Sept. 22 governorship election.
“It is 11 days from today to the commencement of polls for the 2018 Osun Governorship election; we have been able to record 12 out of the 14 activities on the INEC calendar and scheduled of activities for the election.
“The remaining two items are the close of campaigns by political parties on Sept. 20 and the conduct of the election proper on Sept. 22,” Yakubu said.
The INEC boss commended the European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES) for its initiative aimed at ensuring a credible, free and fair election in the state.
Yakubu also commended the Election Monitoring and Support Center (EMSC) for the critical role it had been playing in the management of the INEC plan for the governorship election in Osun.
Also, Mr Rudolf Elbling, ECES Project Coordinator, said the review strategies would help INEC to put its house in order.
He said that it would also assist officials of the commission to familiarise themselves with the structure and operational frameworks of the EMSC ahead of the election.
Elbing added that the INEC would also be able to achieve the impetus and lessons needed for the nationwide implementation of the EMSC schedule plan ahead of the 2019 general elections.
He commended INEC for its preparation for the Osun and 2019 general elections, according to the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN.
He said that ECES was looking forward to forging enduring partnership, mutual collaboration and strategic engagement with INEC in order to strengthen democratic governance in Nigeria.