INEC defends use of Army in elections

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has defended the use of the Army in the forthcoming general elections, saying it would make voters feel secured. This was disclosed by the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Ondo state, Mr Segun Agbaje, during a town hall meeting in Akure. Agbaje added that the commission has also admitted the non-availability of the Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) belonging to some eligible voters in the country. He said, “while some PVCs are yet to be released by the INEC headquarters, others are yet to be collected by their owners in different parts of the country.” He also that “a good number of people come out to vote when military personnel are used on election days because people feel a sense of security if they are sure of their security in any election.”

He added that “the military personnel do not go to polling booths, but are only stationed in different locations during elections to enforce the no movement order of the government during elections.” Agbaje recalled that the deployment of Soldiers to Osun and Ekiti states during the last Governorship elections in the states contributed to the success of the elections in the states and that the collaborative efforts of the Civil Society organizations had assisted the Commission. He solicited for the support of the organizations in the forthcoming elections. Agbaje also disclosed that the commission has distributed over one million PVCs in the state, which represents 72 percent of registered voters, while over 420,000 PVCs are yet to be collected.