FIC Report (Kwara State) – The Kwara State office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) paid a courtesy visit to the Federal Information Centre (FIC) in Ilorin on Tuesday, August 5th. The meeting was held at the office of the Head of Centre (HoC), Alhaji Hammed Olanrewaju.
Leading the INEC delegation was Dr. Gabriel Longpet, the newly appointed Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Kwara State. Dr. Longpet acknowledged the vital role the Ministry plays in INEC’s mandate, extending beyond election periods. He emphasized the importance of inter-agency collaboration and cited ongoing partnerships with organizations like the National Orientation Agency (NOA).
In his welcome remarks, Alhaji Hammed expressed appreciation for the visit and commended INEC for its consistent collaboration with the Ministry of Information, particularly in publicizing federal government programmes and supporting electoral processes. He reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to strengthening the existing synergy between both institutions.
As part of his familiarization tour, Dr. Longpet stressed the need to engage with key stakeholders across the state. He highlighted ongoing activities such as continuous voter registration and the collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), seeking the Ministry’s continued support in public enlightenment and outreach efforts.
During an interactive session, concerns about the accessibility of registration centres; measures to reduce congestion at PVC collection centres and ;whether Nigerians living abroad would be allowed to vote in future elections.
In response, Dr. Longpet explained that a proposed amendment to the Electoral Act is currently under consideration by the National Assembly. If passed, it could allow individuals on official duty to vote ahead of the general election and may extend voting rights to Nigerians in the diaspora—a significant shift from the current law, which restricts overseas voting.
The REC also revealed that INEC is implementing new measures to curb underage and multiple registrations. These include officer-specific registration tags and biometric fingerprint verification during the registration process.
To conclude the visit, the HoC presented Dr. Longpet with copies of the Ministry’s publications as a token of appreciation and in support of INEC’s efforts.
Signed
Dauda Lateef (I.O I)
FIC, Ilorin.
