As 2021 slowly encroaches and political parties begin the sometimes contentious issue of choosing a flagbearer, the level of preparedness of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) needs to be inquired about.
It is not a secret that since the previous election in 2016, thousands of citizens have matured into the voting age and that many people have sadly passed away, there is now a need for a fresh voter registration to ensure that the voter list is up to date.
Considering that there is also the issue of a referrandum before the presidential and parliamentary elections in order to usher in the Third Republic, it is imperative that voter registration be embarked upon as soon as possible.
Additionally, there is the issue of electoral reforms and perhaps redrawing or remapping of the constituencies, there is a lot of work to be done and this might be an uphill task. But due to the COVID-19 these and other issues pose a tremendous challenge which have to be tackled head on.
As the date and time of the end of this pandemic is not known as yet, it is important that strategies and plans be put in place in order to work around it and do the needful. All this work will not accomplish itself, it has to be faced immediately if the Constitution is to be respected and followed.
It will not do to just sit idly by and wait until such a time that it will no longer be possible and turn around and blame the COVID-19 for lack of preparedness. If the political will is there, there are certainly a number of ways in which these exercises can be tackled immediately.
Already, many of the political parties are gearing up to the elections and it is time that the referees also put on their work boots and enter the field even if it is to warm up for the game.
There is no time to waste. The work needs to begin now!
