2023: INEC organises one-day training-of-trainers workshop for staff on display of voters’ register

By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

In the build-up to the 2023 general election, the Electoral Institute(TEI), the training arm of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has organized a one-day Training-of-Trainers workshop at the Institute’s auditorium for Trainers that will be involved in the training for the Display of Preliminary Register of Voters (PRV) Exercise for Claims and Objections.

The training is billed to hold immediately from 12th November, 2022 , in line with Section 19 and 20 of the 2022 Electoral Act. 

The Trainers comprised TEI Trainers, Trainers coopted from the Voter Registry Department as well as State Training Officers (STOs) and Assistant State Training Officers (ASTOs) who joined the ToT via ZOOM

In his welcome remarks, the Director General of the Institute, Dr Sa’ad Umar Idris, stressed that the Training of Trainers (POP) was designed to sharpen skill sets, increase self-confidence and equip Trainers to efficiently step down the training for other election officials, especially the Revision Officers (REVOs) and the Assistant Revision Officers (AREVOs). 

Dr Idris emphasised that the Commission is doing everything possible to continue to raise the bar higher to ensure the conduct of free, fair, credible and inclusive elections, needed to ensure that the Preliminary Register of Voters was sanitized as best as possible.

The DG noted that the Voter Registry Department in collaboration with the state offices will print the Register of Voters (2011 till date) for display at a Designated Centre in the Registration Area nationwide. Commission staff will then be used for the exercise and supported by National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members from the locality. 

He restated that there will be two (2) Officers – Revision Officer (REVO) and Assistant Revision Officer (AREVO), as mentioned earlier, at the Registration Area. 

The REVO will issue forms to any person who wishes to raise either claims or objections. He or she should be able to speak the indigenous language of the locality, to function optimally and proficiently. 

Dr. Idris also emphasised that the Display of the PRV exercise will equally afford the Commission the opportunity to distribute Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to citizens who are yet to collect their cards, when they visit the display centres. 

He concluded his remarks by stating that the TOT was therefore a critical activity that required both Trainers and Trainees to exhibit every sense of diligence and willingness to learn the technicalities and function professionally. 

In his opening speech, the Chair, Board of the Electoral Institute (BEI), Professor Abdullahi Abdu Zuru, represented by DG, TEI, reminded Trainers that the Electoral Act 2022 in Section 19, mandated the Commission to, not later than 90 days before a general election, appoint a period of seven days during which a copy of the voters’ register for each Local Government, Area Council or Ward shall be displayed or published for public scrutiny at every Registration Area and on its official website or any website established by the Commission for that purpose. 

He noted that registered citizens, therefore, had a dual mechanism by which they would verify their details in the voters register, as they could either visit the designated center in their Registration Area to check the accuracy of their details or visit the Commission’s website to also verify. 

The Chair of BEI also observed that where errors, or inaccuracies existed, leading to a claim being made, or where an objection to the inclusion of a name in the register was to be raised, there existed the opportunity to do so at the period for hearing of Claims and Objections.  

He emphasized that the display of the Register of Voters for scrutiny would hold for 7 days including Saturday, Sunday and Public holidays, after which, acceptance, consideration and hearing of claims and objections shall be for 14 days (7 days at INEC designated center at RA level and 7 days at LGA office). 

He also reminded participants of the dates for Claims and Objections at RA level, which was from 12th to 18th November, 2022 while LGA level will be from 19th to 25th November, 2022

.  He stressed that in short, there will be Twenty-One (21) days for the totality of the exercise. 

The Chair BEI, before he declared the Training Open, strongly urged participants to take the training seriously and give it the utmost attention it deserved and also interrogate the process and all anticipated scenarios in the display exercise and in the period of Hearing of Claims and Objections.