NYSC Exempts Corps Members From Election Duty

The National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) in Anambra State has insisted that corps members will not be posted for election duty in Idemili and Ogbaru areas of the state on March 9.
State Coordinator of the corps, Mr Kehinde Aremu, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Awka on Tuesday.
D-G of the corps, Brig.-Gen. Sulaiman Kazaure had after the presidential election barred corps members from being used as election officials in volatile areas in order not to further endanger their lives.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is billed to return to the field again to conduct the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly Elections across 27 out of the 36 states in the country.
The commission will also conduct election in the six Area Councils of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
There will be re-run election for Idemili North and Idemili South Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives in 26 polling units in Obosi ward, Idemili North Council Area.
Aremu said the scheme had reviewed the events of the Feb.23 Presidential and National Assembly election and identified the areas as volatile with high threat possibility for poll officials.
“It would be recalled that corps members were abducted and later freed in Ogbaru, while others sustained injuries when hoodlums invaded a collation centre in Obosi to cart away election materials including result sheet,’’ he said.
The coordinator expressed delight on the corps’ credibility in the country’s electoral process.
He explained that the history books of contributors to growth of democracy would not be complete without the mention of corps members.
Aremu said every corps member in Anambra was home and safe adding that none was in hospital.
According to him, the NYSC in the state will continue to protect the wellbeing of the corps members under its care.
“We are proud of the services they have rendered so far. As you can see, there is no record or report of corps members’ involvement in electoral malpractice.
“ I want to specially commend our corps members who took part in the election here in Anambra.
“I am a member of the Inter-agency Consultative Forum for Election Security in Anambra, we have already envisaged that challenge in those areas and it came out as we expected.