By Chinelo Obogo
Former chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Maurice Iwu, has said despite the destruction of offices of the electoral body in Imo and other South East states by gunmen, the 2023 general election would hold.
Speaking on Arise News, yesterday, Iwu, who is chairman of the Imo Economic Development Initiative (IEDI), said INEC was robust enough to withstand any attack and that no amount of destruction would prevent it from conducting the 2023 elections because its data can be easily replicated.
He called for dialogue while pointing out that the cause of the crisis in Imo State that led to the burning of police stations and INEC offices is a culmination of many issues ranging from politics to feelings of marginalisation by people of the South East. He however warned that that rather than destroy the economy of the state, there should be dialogue to find lasting solutions to the crisis.
“People burning INEC offices have a political undertone and it has been made very clear and definitive. Luckily for the country, INEC is robust enough to withstand it because most of their data can be replicated in no time and even if you destroy their offices in Abuja, election would still go on because of their data dynamics.
“Someone who burn the commission’s offices, what does the person want to achieve except to destroy the democratic process? But I don’t think they would succeed in that because it is a waste of time and resources. Whoever is doing that is doing it against Nigerians because it is the resources that should have been used for other things that would be used to rebuild the structures,” Iwu said
