By RFIPalled on 02-17-2019 Modified on 17-02-2019 at 01:06

In Nigeria, the presidential, legislative and senatorial elections will be held on February 23rd. After a surprise announcement of the postponement of these elections on February 16, the Electoral Commission (INEC), which is reorganizing itself to meet deadlines, will have to overcome many challenges.

In Nigeria, after the announcement of the postponement of the elections to the week, the National Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) will have as a first challenge to succeed in mobilizing again the approximately 84 million voters in the country.

INEC will have to convince citizens to return to the polls. However, these voters are already tested and hesitant about an election campaign that many have found tasteless and without real substantive debate.

The second challenge is logistical. Faced with an audience of political leaders and journalists , the president of the Electoral Commission has discreetly indicated that its agents will have to configure nearly 180,000 voters card readers. These tools are essential for the credibility of this election since they are used to check the validity of voter cards.

" Turn anger into a vote "

Other details, not least: securing the storage of election materials, which must then be redistributed in time and sometimes in complicated conditions. Finally, it will be necessary to redeploy electoral agents to the four corners of the country.

Following the announcement of the postponement of elections, civil society organizations gave a press conference. " As we asked Nigerians : do not bring anger on the street ," said Yemi Adamolekun, member of the collective "Enough is Enough" (" too much is too much "). They must turn this anger into a vote. We plead with the political parties not to make it a battle or a blame game, but to encourage Nigerians to come forward . "

" When there are elections, the whole country is at a standstill ," she continues. It's a huge cost for Nigerians who have traveled to their homes to vote, and to whom you ask to stay an extra week or go back to work and then come back. But we are really asking Nigerians to exercise their right to vote and take it very seriously . "

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