INEC reschedules FCT council poll to April 9; as REC calls for improved women participation

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has rescheduled the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council Elections earlier scheduled for Saturday, March 19, 2016 to Saturday, April 9, 2016.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for the FCT, Prof. Jacob S. Jatau, announced the rescheduling at an emergency stakeholders meeting today.
Prof. Jatau, while explaining the reason for the rescheduling of the elections, said: “the Commission is committed to ensuring the conduct of free, fair and credible elections. It is also determined to deliver qualitative electoral services to Nigerians resident in the FCT.”
The REC said that the Commission has reviewed its preparedness to guarantee the required results and in keeping with its policy on transparency decided to brief stakeholders on the challenge it has encountered in the recruitment of ad-hoc workers for the election.
According to the REC, “over a period of time, the Commission has collaborated well and enjoyed cordial relationship with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC): there is a challenge currently as the Commission has not been able to get the required number of corps members for the election scheduled for March 19, 2016.
The REC said, given this challenge, the Commission began consultations with the authorities of the University of Abuja to get the balance of the required number of ad-hoc workers which has been received but, “it is not possible to adequately train and deploy them for the exercise.”
Prof. Jatau said: “in the light of this development therefore, the Commission has decided to shift the elections by three weeks. The new date for the Area Councils Elections in the FCT is April 9th, 2016. The tenure of the current Chairmen and Councilors will expire on May 17th, 2016”.
He called for the understanding and support of Political Parties and other stakeholders since the new date was still within the time allowed by law. He appealed to the media for greater collaboration in the area of dissemination of relevant information to the electorate.
The Stakeholders meeting was attended by the Commissioner of Police, FCT, Mr. Wilson Inalegwu; NYSC State Coordinator, Mr. Omotayo Adewoye; representative of Directorate of State Security Service Mr. Ilupeju Adebayo; and Administrative Secretary INEC, FCT, Mr. A.A Adamu.
Meanwhile, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Professor Jacob Jatau, has charged women in the FCT to see themselves as agents of change in the electoral process by collecting their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and ensuring mass participation in the forthcoming Council elections.
He charged that: “Women must have to see themselves as agents of change, not from the perspective of partisanship but from the perspective of ensuring quality life.”
The REC, represented by Deputy Director, Legal, INEC FCT, Hajiya Mariam Damisa, made the call last Friday at Newton Park Hotel, during a Sensitization Forum/Town Hall Meeting on Voter Education for women organized by the Commission with the support of the International Foundation on Electoral Systems (IFES).
Professor Jatau encouraged participants at the event to report any negative actions either to the security agents or INEC officials, even as he implored them to come out en-masse and vote. “Ensure that you obtain your PVC because that is your power. Ensure that there is peace in your environment and I implore you all on the day of election to come out, en masse, to vote a candidate of your choice,” he said.
In his welcome address, Director Voter Education and Publicity Department, INEC Headquarters, Mr. Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, canvassed for more women participation in the electoral process. He said: “from our statistics, women constitute about fifty per cent of registered voters in the FCT and very often, they do come out but we are not satisfied with the turnout”.
He explained that the Commission had made a conscious move to get women involved in the process. He echoed the REC’s call for more participation of women in the electoral process.
On her part, Deputy Director, Gender Division, INEC Headquarters, Mrs. Blessing Obidegwu, decried the low involvement of women in the electoral process and elective positions. She said: “women represent a critical mass of voters and electoral stakeholder group that cannot be ignored, though this number is evident in the 2015 general elections as the low participation of women in elective positions appears to have grown from bad to worse.”
Mrs. Obidegwu, while explaining INECs level of preparedness for the FCT elections said: “the Commission had conducted Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, carried out trainings for Electoral Officers and their assistants, ad-hoc staff, engaged in robust Voter Education in the FCT, held peace summit with political parties and their candidates, and now this sensitization forum”.
In a related development, INEC has announced that it is organizing Voter Education and Sensitization programmes for Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), People Living With Disabilities (PWDs) and Youths in the FCT.
The two-day event is aimed at creating awareness and encouraging participation of all stakeholders in the forthcoming elections.
The sensitization programme for CSOs and PWDs will hold today, Monday 14th March, 2016 at Newton Park Hotel, Zone 4, Abuja, from 9.00 a.m. to 2.00 p.m. while the programme for CSOs and Youth Groups is scheduled for tomorrow,Tuesday, 15th March, 2016, to hold at the Newton Park Hotel, Zone 4, Abuja, from 9.00 a.m. to 2.00 p.m.