LIVE: Citizens Townhall On Voting Amidst COVID-19

Welcome to the Live TV and Virtual Citizens Town Hall which will focus on the theme: Voting Amidst the COVID-19, with specific reference to the 2020 Edo and Ondo Governorship Elections.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had on May 21, released its policy on conducting elections in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria.

The purpose of the policy, according to INEC, was “to enable officials and staff of the commission to understand and respond adequately to the challenges of conducting elections in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and its health and financial implications, as well as to provide a guide for engagement with stakeholders during the elections”.

The electoral body also noted that the policy will regulate the conduct of the upcoming governorship election in Edo and Ondo and rescheduled bye-elections and so far, INEC is consulting relevant stakeholders to harness feedback on the proposed policy.

In light of that, this townhall is conducted to complement the INEC-led consultations on the policy. Specifically, the Citizens Townhall seeks to achieve the following specific objectives;

1. To facilitate public debate on the impact of COVID-19 on elections with a view to harnessing citizens inputs into the INEC policy on election in the context of the
COVID-19 pandemic.

2. To raise public awareness on the policy especially the new processes and guidelines introduced in the electoral process due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The debate is proposed to bring together a cross-section of stakeholders including INEC, NCDC, security agencies, CSOs, political parties, citizens and the media to discuss the practicalities of conducting elections amidst COVID-19 and the overriding implications of not conducting elections within constitutional time limits.

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