BEVERLY HILLS, December 19, (THEWILL) – The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has raised a Task Force on how to get Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to vote in the forthcoming 2015 general election.
The Task Force, whose constitution has been approved by the Chairman of INEC, Professor Attahiru Jega, has a National Commissioner, Mrs. Thelma Iremiren, as chairperson; along with nine other members, including the Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States.
Specifically, members of the Task Force include the Director, Electoral Operations, Mr. Kayode Oladimeji; Ag. Director, Legal Services, Barrister Ibrahim Bawa; Director, Voter Registry, Engr. Emmanuel Akem; Chief Technical Adviser to the Chairman, Professor Okechukwu Ibeanu; and Special Assistant to the Chairman, Professor Mohammed Kuna. Others are the REC of Borno State, Professor Tukur Sa’ad; his counterpart for Adamawa State, Barrister Kassim Gaidam; the REC of Yobe State, Mallam Sadiq Abubakar Musa; and Director, Planning and Monitoring, Barrister Okechukwu Ndeche, who is also the Secretary of the Task Force.
A statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Mr. Kayode Idowu, listed the terms of reference of the Task Force to include: Examining the legal, political, security and administrative challenges in achieving IDP voting during the 2015 General Election; Evaluating the standards and recommendations emerging from conferences and workshops by international and local agencies on IDP voting, and determine their applicability to Nigeria for the 2015 General Election; Reviewing the experiences of other jurisdictions in dealing with the challenges of IDP voting.
Others include the evaluation of the adequacy of existing electoral legal framework for resolving the challenges of IDP voting in the 2015 general election; Determining what the Commission can do to ensure that IDPs are not disenfranchised, if the existing legal framework is inadequate; Determining the scope of IDP participation that is practicable in the 2015 general election; and Submitting a comprehensive report, which should embody specific recommendations on IDP participation in the 2015 general election.
The Task Force, according to the statement, has seven working days from Monday, December 22 to submit its report.
About the Author
