Elections in 2023 must occur, says NOA D-G

The Director-General, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Dr Garba Abari has expressed confidence that the 2023 general elections will hold as scheduled, in spite of the prevailing socio-economic challenges in the nation.

Abari made this known in a statement issued by NOA Assistant Director of Press, Paul Odenyi in Abuja on Thursday.

The director-general gave the assurance when a delegation from YIAGA Africa, led by its Director of Programmes, Mrs Cynthia Mbamalu, paid him a working visit in his office in Abuja.

Abari noted that it was in the interest of Nigerians for the elections to hold as planned.

He said that with collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) over, migration of polling units became the next serious issue requiring urgent and robust sensitisation across the country.

He said what was needed was proper synergy between government and the civil society groups to adequately sensitise citizens because of communities difficult to reach with communication technologies.

“NOA will work with YIAGA and other willing organisations to ensure effective community based sensitisation of voters in their respective local dialects.

“It will also ensure they can easily identify their polling units ahead of the elections and avoid disenfranchisement,” Abari said.

Earlier, Mbamalu said that the visit was to intimate NOA of YIAGA’s election sensitisation and monitoring programmes.

She identified the programmes as Election Results Analysis Dashboard (ERAD), the Election Manipulation Risk Index (EMRI) and Watching the Vote, which would involve deploying about 3,014 observers on election days.

She noted the need for a massive national campaign to help the electorate locate and confirm their polling units.

The YIAGA D-G requested NOA’s intervention in translating polling unit sensitisation materials in local languages.