Group urges INEC to desist from employing career politicians

The International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law (Intersociety) has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to desist from engaging career politicians as its officers.

The group said in a statement in Onitsha, Anambra on Friday that it was not ideal for a known politician, a card-carrying member of a political party, to be engaged even temporarily by the commission.

”Your commission should avoid recruiting career politicians either as substantive electoral officers like RECs or ad-hoc officers like electoral officers or returning officers,” it said.

It urged INEC to commence the registration of voters and revalidation of voters' cards for the forth-coming general polls.

The statement also advised INEC to relax the conditions for the transfer of voters' cards and allied issues.

”Your commission should ensure the deployment of adequate voters' registration tools and personnel and designate clearly through adequate publicity registration centres across the country, which must be within the reach of qualified Nigerians.

It also called on INEC to liaise with the security agencies to apprehend and prosecute those found flouting the criminal aspect of the Electoral Act 2010.

The statement was signed by Emeka Umeagbalasi and Justus Ijeoma, the Chairman and Head of Publicity Desk respectively.