Zuru explains why INEC is deploying EVMAT - ITREALMS

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The Chairman of the Board of the Electoral Institute (BEI), Prof. Abdullahi Abdu Zuru, has offered an insight into why the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is deploying the Election Violence Mitigation and Advocacy Tool (EVMAT), reports ITREALMS.

Speaking at the weekend at a methodology workshop on EVMAT for field workers towards a successful Federal Capital Territory (FCT) election slated for February 12, 2022 in Abuja, he said that EVMAT is being deployed by to save lives, and ensure that election is free, fair, inclusive, credible and peaceful.
He also said that it would help election practitioners and election security stakeholders in curtailing, and mitigating election violence.

In addition, Zuru noted that quality assurance is key and would enable the Commission to follow up not necessarily because they did not trust the field agents but for the sake of quality assurance.

Welcoming participants, Director-General of The Electoral Institute, Dr Sa'ad Umar Idris, stressed the importance of deploying EVMAT tool in all elections by the Commission, including the FCT Area Council Election in identifying hotspots and violent prone areas during elections.

He pointed out that the EVMAT TOOL was successfully deployed in previous Governorship Elections in Edo, Ondo and recently Anambra Governorship Election.

Idris also urged participants to gather credible and reliable data by doing their field work with the highest level of integrity, transparency and professionalism.

Equally he admonished participants to justify the confidence reposed in them by the Commission.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner for FCT, Alhaji Yahaya Bello appreciated the TEI team in readiness for the February 12th scheduled FCT Area Council Election, and urged participants to stay focused during the workshop as all eyes are on the FCT Area Council Election and people will use it to judge the commission as it prepares for the forthcoming Ekiti, Osun, and indeed the 2023 General Elections.

The REC highlighted that some of the violence recorded during the previous elections in FCT had several other triggers not politicians alone as is often assumed, stressing that “indeed, there were instances where voters' actions at the polls have contributed to the outbreak of violence.” Bello also underscored the fact that activities of banditry and kidnappings from neighbouring States like Kogi, Niger, and Nasarawa may be the likely causes of electoral violence in FCT, advising them to be good ambassadors of the Commission.