The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been urged by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to warn political parties against using illegal substances while running for office.
The advice was given by Mrs. Mositi Mathias, Head of the NDLEA Drug Demand Reduction Unit, Adamawa Command, on Thursday in Yola during a workshop held by the National Orientation Agency (NOA) for its workers.
"War Against Drug Abuse: Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of the 2023 General Elections" was the topic of the workshop.
This, according to Mathias, would stop political thugs from violently disenfranchising the electorate.
“There should be severe punishment for those engaged in political thuggery and violence to serve as a deterrent to other would-be offenders,’’ she said.
Mathias also charged the NOA officials to sensitize members of the public against drug abuse at the grassroots as the electioneering campaign begins.
Mr. Bala Aji, INEC Head of Information and Communication Technology in Adamawa, said that the commission was very serious about the conduct of the 2023 general elections.
He said there was no more issue of incident form as the commission had upgraded its system of operation to ensure free, fair, and credible elections.
According to him, a lot of people have tried to break into the system but failed.
He assured that INEC would collaborate with NOA officials at the local government level to mobilize the electorate to ensure a peaceful election.
Malam Muhammad Gabdo, Director NOA in Adamawa, said the workshop was to build the capacity of the agency’s staff in local government areas in the area of public enlightenment.
He said that NOA has a responsibility to effectively sensitize people at the grassroots on the electoral process ahead of the general elections in 2023.
Mr. Richard Dangari, a Deputy Director who spoke on behalf of the participants, said they would take the right messages to the grassroots, to ensure the successful conduct of the general elections.