THE Federal Government Tuesday assured that the general elections slated to hold this year (February and March) will go on as planned.
Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed made the declaration at the 17th edition of the PMB Administration Scorecard series in Abuja.
INEC had, Monday said elections may not hold in sufficient polling units if the current security situation didn’t abate.
INEC Chairman Professor Mahmood Yakubu said this in a message to the validation of election security training resources in Abuja .
He spoke through the Chairman, Board of Electoral Institute (BEI), Professor Abdullahi Abdu Zuru.
“Moreover, if the insecurity is not monitored and dealt with decisively, it could ultimately culminate in the cancellation and/or postponement of elections in sufficient constituencies to hinder declaration of elections results and precipitate constitutional crisis. This must not be allowed to happen and shall not be allowed to happen.
“Therefore, security personnel in particular and all election officials in general must be security conscious and alert to unusual activities in their environment and must be fully equipped to deal with any challenge at all times,” he had charged.
But in a counter position, the minister said: “Before I invite the Honourable Minister of Health to the podium, let me use this opportunity to respond to inquiries from the media
over a widely-circulated report, credited to an INEC official, that the 2023 general elections face a serious threat of cancellation due
to insecurity.
“The position of the Federal Government remains that the 2023 elections will be held as planned. Nothing has happened to change that position. We are aware that INEC is working with the security agencies to ensure that the elections are successfully held across the country.
“The security agencies have also continued to assure Nigerians that they are working tirelessly to ensure that the elections are held in a peaceful atmosphere. Therefore, there is no cause for alarm.”
