Postponing 2023 Elections Will Be Great Disservice To Nigerians, Ortom Warns

He said the electoral body is not contemplating postponing the general elections in February and March this year.

Yakubu spoke when he met with the leadership of the 18 political parties at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.

“The commission is not contemplating any adjustment to the election timetable let alone postponement to the general elections. The repeated assurance by security agencies for the adequate protection of personnel and process also reinforces our determination to proceed.

“The 2023 general elections will hold as scheduled. Any report to the country is not the official position of the commission,” he said.

The INEC chairman also presented the 2023 voter register to the parties ahead of the elections as required by the 2022 Electoral Act.

The commission presented a register containing 93,469,008 voters for the 2023 general elections.

The voter distribution also revealed that 44,414,846 registered voters are females, and 49,054,162 are males.

Of the total registered voters, the number of young people between the ages of 18 and 34 stood at 37,060,399, representing 39.65% of total registered voters while the elderly between the ages of 50 and 69 stood at 17,700,270, representing 18.94% of total registered voters.

He suggested that instead of a general postponement of the general elections, elections in volatile places can be staggered to allow for adequate security deployment on a date set aside for such areas.

He said Nigerians are in a hurry to elect new leaders that will bring on board solutions to the many challenges confronting the country.

“A statement was purported to have come from INEC about the fears of 2023 elections concerning security. Our prayer is that whatever happens, let us go ahead with the elections because Nigerians, Benue State people are equally waiting for it,” the governor said.

Ortom said the enemies of Nigeria should not be allowed to take advantage of the security challenges confronting the country, insisting that elections must be conducted.

“If there are specific areas where insecurity is intense and there are problems, they should work towards shifting the elections (in those areas) and when the other places have concluded, they should go back there… I believe that can work but postponing the elections will be a great disservice to the people of Benue State and our country Nigeria,” he said.

The governor also urged INEC to extend by one week, the duration for the collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) across the country.

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