INEC to promote voter education in secondary schools

The Independent National Electoral Commission has said that it is ready to promote voter education in secondary schools across the country, so as to encourage pupils’ participation in the electoral process.

The INEC Assistant Director, Voter Education, Mrs Dorathy Inyang, stated this in Abuja, while monitoring the 2019/2020 Prefect-ship election in Britarch International Schools.

The INEC director said that elections in schools were key to developing how pupils made and stood by their choices.

She said, “Election is an act of people choosing their leaders. It is about making your choice and not your parents’ nor friends’ choice. When the votes are counted the winner will emerge. If your candidate does not win, the good thing is that you voted for the candidate of your choice.

“The commission has a policy that voter education should be carried out in secondary schools. This is very important and we give the school a big hand for organising such an election.”

Also, the Chairman of the school, Okechukwu Philips, said it was necessary for secondary schools to expose their pupils to the electoral process as part of political socialisation.

Philips, who is an ambassador, said, “It is good for us to educate them according to the voter education policy of INEC so as to groom them for national elections when they become of age. We expect to always have free, fair and credible elections. This is why we have invited INEC and other observers to see how the school’s elections are conducted.”

A former Minister of Police Affairs and Internal Affairs, Humphrey Abah, was also one of the election observers.