By Femi Ogunshola

Stakeholders on Thursday tasked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recruit locals as ad hoc staff for 2023 general election, instead of non-residents of the state.

The stakeholders said this at the European Union (EU) Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) Programme Publication series 2 seminar in Abuja.

“INEC should recruit locals as ad hoc staff electoral officers instead of non-residents of the state.

“The usual norm of deploying National Youth Service Corps members may portend more danger in the 2023 election. 

It is therefore, recommended that INEC should recruit staff who will use its local offices from the communities, for instance in Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, Niger and Sokoto, communities have been in dialogue with armed groups.

“These individuals will be better placed to work out a plan or agreement to enable their participation in the general election.

 This should not supersede the need to deploy technical staff to LGA offices who can train the election officers ahead of time,” the stakeholders said.

They urged INEC to engage with social media platforms and government agencies toward developing a code of conduct for engagements between the platforms and INEC.

“INEC should engage with social media platforms and government agencies with the aim of developing a code of conduct for engagements between the platforms and INEC.

“The commission may also propose a pledge between political parties on the use of the social media in election.

“INEC should device a plan with alternatives to move election materials promptly and safely to and from polling units in a way that inspires trust in the electoral process.”(NAN)

Edited by Chinyere Bassey/Ali Baba-Inuwa