Unbundle inec, PR Expert Tells FG

Former President of the Nigeria Institute of Public Relations(NIPR), Barr  Karibi George, has called for the un-bundling of the nations electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC).
He made the recommendation while speaking at the annual conference of the NIPR, Rivers State Chapter in Port Harcourt last Thursday.
George said INEC should be split into two with one arm regulating campaigns, while the other arm organises and supervises elections.
The public relations expert said the current state of INEC was burdensome considering the lapses seen in campaigns and elections.
He observed that if a body is established to monitor and regulate campaigns most of the hate, divisive and religiously biased speeches will be curtailed.
The former NIPR chairman in Rivers State observed that the current violence and division witnessed in the country were the outcomes of poorly regulated political campaigns, as politicians sought to exploit the religious and ethnic diversity to their advantage.
The result of this posture in the view of George is that it further polarises the country leading to more violence before, during and after the elections.
In addition , he suggested that all personnel of INEC should undergo debriefing so that they will be armed with the rules and policies guiding the organization in order to monitor the electoral process without bias.
Another speaker, and member of NIPR, Clarice Azuatalam observed that political participation has continued to reduce over the years due to poor communication skills by political actors.
She however said public relations has great role to play to engender trust and reconnect the people with the political process.