The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has charged its officers with effective election monitoring, coordination and support ahead of the 2027 General Elections.
Dr Mutiu Agboke, Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Ondo State, gave the charge on Friday in Akure during a two–day Election Monitoring and Support Centre (EMSC) Amber Zone Implementers’ Workshop for the 2027 General Elections.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Electoral Officers (EO operations), Assistant Electoral Officers (AEO operations) and Desk Officers at the workshop were drawn from the 18 Local Government Areas of the state.
Agboke, represented by the Administrative Secretary of the commission in the state, Mrs Temitayo Adelusi, called on officers to discharge their responsibilities effectively for the betterment of the country.
According to him, the EMSC is designed to provide a structured system for data collection, reporting, validation and communication, particularly within the amber and red zones, to strengthen election monitoring and support operations.
“Meanwhile, this training is to equip the officers with the knowledge and skills required for effective implementation of the EMSC operational framework for the incoming elections.
“The 2027 EMSC operational guidelines clearly outline roles and responsibilities of implementers, while officers should understand procedures and processes required for effective election management.
“Thorough understanding of procedures is vital to successful conduct of elections. On Thursday, INEC trained security officers on electoral risks management.
“Elections are processes, not merely events. So every stage of the electoral process requires adequate security to safeguard lives, electoral personnel and election materials.
“So, we have called on security operatives to complement the commission’s efforts by ensuring watertight security at every stage of the election, particularly collation centres,” he said.
Earlier, Alhaji Abdulwasiu Oludegun, Head of Department, Planning and Monitoring, said the workshop was a support tool which aids the commission’s transition from a reactive or crisis mode to a proactive mode in the management of elections.
Oludegun said the EMSC was designed to track pre-election, election-day and post-election activities, captured in a standardised and harmonised format for reporting across key activities and zones.
He explained that the workshop was to enable the officers clearly understand their roles, duties and responsibilities in tracking, monitoring and reporting during the amber and red zones for the 2027 General Elections.
“This is to enhance understanding of processes for data collection and reporting using EMSC instruments, and improve reporting from field to headquarters in terms of compliance, timeliness, completeness and accuracy,” he said.
Discussion0