Attacks by hoodlums on offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) may affect conduct of the 2023 general elections, a don, Prof. Ifeanyichukwu Abada, has warned.Abada, of the Department of Political Science, University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), expressed the worry in Nsukka on Thursday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).He said that if unchecked, the attacks might affect INEC’s ability to successfully conduct elections.“
I am worried that INEC, a vital democratic institution in the country, has become a target of attacks by some hoodlums burning its offices.“No matter the reason by anybody or group, INEC should not be a target for destruction.“Destroying the commission’s facilities amounts to destroying Nigeria’s democratic
process.“Sponsors and perpetrators of this heinous act should have a rethink on their dangerous mission to kill the country’s democracy and disrupt 2023 general elections,” he said.The don urged the Federal Government to beef up security at INEC offices nationwide.“Government should ensure 24-hour security surveillance and patrol of all INEC offices in order to arrest criminals behind the atrocity as well as avert further attacks,” he said.Abada, the immediate past Head of Department of Political Science of UNN, also urged the government to deploy technology that would reveal to identities of perpetrators of such attacks.“
With CCTV cameras in all INEC offices, identities of those behind this crime will be unmasked; they will be arrested and prosecuted,” he said.Abada urged youths in the country to see themselves as future leaders and resist attempts to be used to destroy the country.“Remember that Nigeria is the only country you can call your own, you will be treated like a foreigner in any other country,” he said. (NAN)
