INEC to deploy undercover agents, train staff on secrecy of votes
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Undercover agents will be deployed to polling units to stop vote buying and rigging, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has disclosed, to ensure the ballots in 2023 and beyond are free of rancour.
INEC Information and Voter Education Committee Chairman Festus Okoye made the announcement at a citizens’ election dialogue in Abuja themed, “What makes a good election in Nigeria”.
Said he: “We have also made sure that people do not enter the voting compartments with their mobile phones that can take pictures.
“We’re also collaborating with the different security agencies under the auspices of the inter-agency consultative committee on election security to make sure that plain clothes security personnel are deployed to some polling units on Election Day to stem the issue of vote buying and vote selling.
“This Commission is focused and determined to give Nigerians a good election. In terms of the issue of vote buying, the Commission has reconfigured the various polling units to guarantee the secrecy of the votes.
“It’s fashionable to grandstand relating to the commitment of the INEC to free, fair and transparent elections. But you should also flip back and look at some of the party primaries that some of the political parties conducted and how well they conducted them.”
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Training of INEC staff
Okoye reiterated the commitment of INEC to delivering free, fair, and credible elections for all Nigerians in collaboration with security agencies, according to Vanguard.
He said INEC will continue to train its staff to ensure hitch-free polls and also ensure election officials know how to configure and position voting cubicles to guarantee the secrecy of votes.
“INEC will make sure technology is deployed and we’re also going to make sure that we transmit polling unit results into our INEC viewing portal.”
