Former Governor of Cross River State, Liyel Imoke says there is still hope for Nigerians despite the raging insecurity in the country.
Imoke stated this in an interview with Channels TV, monitored by TNC.
He expressed optimism that despite the insecurity challenges facing the country, the 2023 general elections will still hold.
The former minister of power and steel development noted that the security situation in the country currently is worse than it was in 2015.
He recalled the security threat in the 2015 and 2019 elections, but that did not deter the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from conducting the polls.
According to him, that was possible because of collaboration between the security agencies and the electoral umpire.
“The elections took place in 2019, we were active participants in that process. At that time, Boko Haram was raging, as it were, we had the kidnappings of the chibok girls and everything else that was going on in the northeast. But that did not deter the Electoral Commission from conducting those elections,” Imoke said.
“I remember a council of state meeting, where I repeatedly raised the issue of security and received the confirmation and affirmation of the then chairman of the electoral commission and the security agencies that they were ready to conduct the elections and that the elections would be free and fair. And they went ahead to conduct those elections.
“And as you very well know, those elections were considered free and fair, given the fact that the PDP lost the elections in 2015 going into 2019. So those 2015 elections were elections that were conducted under a reasonable state of insecurity.
“I believe that the security situation in the country now is worse than it was in 2015. That’s a fact. But despite that, I believe that there’s still hope for a better future. And that is the basis of strengthening not just the electoral commission, but also that is the basis of the security agencies working hard to build confidence among the electorates that they can secure the nation for the elections.”
The former governor also said, “So I believe that working collaboratively we should be able to conduct elections across the country despite the current security situation in the country.”
He commended INEC for carrying Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) along by ensuring that voting is held in their camps in line with the current Electoral Act.
“And I think efforts are already been made in that regard to addressing all these security challenges and INEC just recently released some guidelines that even provide for voting in IDPs and the processes of voting in IDPs,” he said.
“I think that is taking cognizance of the fact that we have these challenges and not just that we have these challenges but that in the past these challenges have been issues that had to be addressed.”
