From Umar Danladi Ado, Sokoto
In Sokoto, the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) has made a provision for the security challenges communities to cast their votes in the Internally Displaced Persons Camps (IDPs) during the forthcoming local government elections scheduled on 21st September across the state.
The Chairman of the Commission, Alhaji Aliyu Sulaiman, also said SIEC will employ 15,964 ad-hoc staff to conduct hitch-free elections in the 3,991 polling units and 244 wards across the 23 local government areas of the state.
“It is necessary to recruit a large number of ad-hoc staff because there are 3,991 polling units in the state and 244 wards, and in each and every polling unit, at least four personnel are needed to facilitate and conduct the elections”.
“Am very glad to inform you and really proud to say that we have sufficient funds to conduct the elections”,
“The governor has been very generous to us; there is nothing that requires that has not been given to us, so we are absolutely no problem with funds”.
Already, the commission held a meeting with 18 political parties in the state and informed them of the preparations to conduct the forthcoming local government elections scheduled to be held on the 21st of September 2024.
He said the commission will start screening the candidates submitted by the parties between the 8th and 15th of August.
About 10 political parties would be participating in the elections.
“The question of insecurity has been with us for a long even during the last elections that we conducted in 2021. As such, we are working in synergy with security agencies to achieve success “.
A similar meeting was also held with all security agencies in the state, and during that, they highlighted all the security concerns and the areas that are witnessing security challenges, and the commission and other election stakeholders are fully aware of the antecedence.
“And we will certainly not conduct elections without security clearance, for any area for which there is insecurity.
Just like we did in the last local government Council elections in 2021, some areas are impossible to reach because of security challenges; some we made provision for in Internally Displaced Persons camps (IDPs).
While in a situation where some villages come into immediate urban areas where there is security, we will certainly conduct elections separately.
He pointed out that where it is not possible to hold elections due to insecurity, the commission will not conduct the elections.
Already, the commission has a permanent staff and an office and the ad-hoc staff will recruited to work under the supervision of experienced officers in each local government area.
The commission will employ ad-hoc staff in each of the local government areas.
The commission will use the National Youth Service Corps and other unemployed youths in large numbers to supplement the existing SIEC staff.
