A word is enough for the wise. I will succinctly list and explain the likely challenges corps members might experience when conducting the 2015 election. It is not a guess work but based on my experience on the governorship election in osun state '14. INEC training will never tell you all this because most of the trainers are either naïve or incompetent.

1. Removing posters of political parties on your poling unit

According to the INEC training manual, this is the first thing you are required to do before setting up your poling unit but be careful not to trigger any annoyance of party supporters or some die hard supporters. In my own case, some supporters almost cause a trepid when they accused me of removing their party poster 'first' before the other party which was not true. The problem was, other party does not even have a poster except theirs. So, they concluded that am an anti-party. To avoid such, instruct your APO's to join you in removing the posters at the same time.

2. Location of poling unit

Here you got no options than to make use with what you have. In my own case, the location of my poling unit was so small that I had no space to arrange my cubicle and other stuffs, I had to improvise with the help of the party agents. Such challenges can allow your ballot box to be far or closer to you in other to utilize the space available for voters

3. Cowardness of security personnel attached to your poling unit

This is a serious and likely challenge you cannot avoid. When I say security I don't mean "soldiers", every poling unit will be given a police officer who can either be male or female and two civil defense corps(majorly female) without no arms on them. Accreditation usually start by 8am and end by 12noon, immediately it is 12 noon, you are expected to instruct any of the security personnel to stand behind the last person on the queue. In my own case, the security personnel I instructed to do so was threatened by the voters and he told me "oga I no fit o, those people too stubborn", I was annoyed because the implication was, people keep joining the queue when accreditation should have stopped. I had to use the wisdom of giving out numbers to those on queue which really helps.

4. Voters having two voters card with different name and the same picture

Like I told you INEC training will never reveal all this challenges to you, all they say when you raise such questions is "it can never happen" but practically, it do happens but not frequently. In my poling unit, a voters was busted by some party agents with two voters card. He has already voted in a different poling units and still want to vote in my poling unit. The challenge was, is name was on our voters of register and also in the other poling unit. That is why you need the phone numbers of all your colleagues in the same ward, so that you can easily contact them for verification. I ordered is arrest but the security agents in my poling unit was unable to while he escaped.

5. Food

What I don't know is if there are any feeding allowance, all I know is we were given a training allowance. I will suggest you go to the poling unit with a flask of food because "INEC will not provide you with food" you are on your own. We were told that we will be provided with chops which most of colleague depend on but we ended up fasting. I Arrived at my poling unit around 5:30am and left around 6:30pm. You can imagine the dry fasting.

6. Always count your ballot paper

During the training, your SPO will tell you not to bother counting your ballot paper that everything is intact. My advice, count it. The ballot paper carries a unique serial number which might range from like 401-500, is just like a cheque book. You are to count it one after the other to avoid problems later. I made that mistake of believing my SPO, I told my assistance not to count it that every ballot paper is 100 each, not knowing that a particular one carries "102". This later transpires, when we notice that the number of electorate is higher than the numbers accredited by excess of "2". It took serious mathematics, brainstorming before was detected after series of frustration.

7. Party agents claiming the same name

After the training, INEC will give you the names of register party agents, so as for you to verify their authenticity. My first challenge was this, a particular party agent was claiming the name of his party and another party. He was representing party A and also party B using different name. I told him he will only choose one while I wait for the original representative of B. But guys, this guys are so smart that the name they will give you will tally with the one INEC gave you without even showing them, which means they are also the party A, B and C but trying to cause confusion.

8. Don't get intimidated by foreign journalist

According to INEC law, you are not to grant any interview during the election, except after(which is optional). If you are not smart enough, they will get you to say what you ought not to say. To avoid complexity, check their Id's to confirm if INEC accredit them, if not, walk them out respectfully and if they are, still walk them out respectfully or tell them you can't talk.

9. Party agents

If you are not careful, this people will take over your poling unit. You need that level of authority and command because these party agents are more experience than you and I, they mostly monitor your attributes to know if you are smart, intelligent or dull. If the reverse is the case, they will confused you into committing errors. Try not to be too harsh on them and also try not to be too simple because you both need each other cooperation. Never allow them to be too close to your table when collating results because they might compromise you, and mind you be transparent to all because they are monitoring and writing out all your activities.

10. Voters/ electorate

This is the greatest challenges of all. During the INEC training you will be told on how to fold the ballot paper, but hey! These voters are taught another style by their parties which most times complicate issues. The way most of them fold this ballot paper render them "invalid most times" and if you say you should follow the pattern INEC gave, it means you will render all their votes invalid. You are to apply wisdom by checking only their thumb printing. Some will say you are to fold the ballot paper for them, YES! But these voters will refold it right in your presence. Just comply and check the main thing.

Note: Not all challenges are stated here because it will be too lengthy but I hope the few ones will help. I say "holla" to all batch A, 14 in osun state as we prepare for the election and our POP. I pray for the safety of all corps members nation wide (Amen)..keep your integrity to avoid the fight of your conscience

ok....I'll avoid them

Op u try sha bt majority of all u said can't be applied in many environs.

Nice piece..
I pray for God's guidance nd protection over all who will be INEC's official during this election.

An advice for my fellow corps members:
Pls, as a presiding officer, don't publicly show ur support for or opposition against any candidate or political party.. U might be a target when tinz go wrong in d polling unit or outside it.
For our own safety, let's try as much as we can to be nonpartisan no matter what. Anything can happen anytime. Whatever u say or do in the course of the election might be used against u. But my prayer is dat God Almighty will guide us from the evil ones.

Go in peace nd return in peace to complete ur service to fatherland... Aal iz well °•°

How much will they pay for this wahala Self

Corp memebers should stay away from APC controlled states for their safety

Watch out for Baba Buhari oyoyo chanters

Corp members, please remeber it was this same Buhari touts that maimed your colleaguse

WIT MY PVC AM READY TO VOTE OUT GEJ AND HIS CLUELESS MAGICIANS#VOTEWISELY #VOTE GMB/PYO

God please help these innocent ones who will be out to serve this country on that day. i

Youth corpers for the sake of your lives avoid the north like leporous a plague

Most especially, DO NOT allow yourself to be used as rigging instrument by any party.

Ok

Good piece. Thanks a lot. Need to share this with corp members that I know

Yeah, it's a necessity to have all these in mind come failbuhari 14.

Secondly, INEC and their APC cohorts shouldn't try to shift the elections as I have a date that day with a very important personality. I don't need any babe to come and distract me that day.

Thirdly, it's Dr. GEJ All The Way!!

Be there!!

OP you are quite experienced.

On the issue of one voter with multiple voters card, it wont be an issue in this election because only those with PVCs will be allowed to vote and a card reader will be used to scan the PVC and thumb print of the holder.

Nice one op. God bless you .

And lastly . Don't get involved in any electoral fraud because if the oppositiona gets to know , you could pose your life on a deal thats less than 20,000.

Be wise

You ve tried,
Nice job Dear.

Noted

Corpers request for soldiers if u r in an APC controlled state. Buhari oyoyos dosnt hv regard for Nigeria police let alone civil defence. APCist are blood suckers

They should not congregate in a single place, they should not sleep in the local government secretariat or INEC office.

Tanx for dat...bt most of it can't be done here in kano cus dey wnt even listin nd u cnt force dem cus of ur safety

For all corpers that will be posted to units under my care, be rest assured of your safety. Tho it is God that protects!

Nice one op but issue of getting the mobile digit of your fellow corp member in the same ward but different polling unit is a no go area for some places because of network issue. Inec training commences tomorrow. Goodluck to my fellow corps member.

please dont forget to run if you smell challenges greater than what you can handle as prison warden may be your PU securityperssonel



NB dont forget to collect that unsolicited 'chop money' share by a[b][/b]ny party cos your LGI/LI/ZI may have collected it on your behalf without remitting it.

Respect to my Ekiti CORPseeees 2011 (batch A)

For those in Kano,RUN!!!

kinibigdeal:


7. Party agents claiming the same name

After the training, INEC will give you the names of register party agents, so as for you to verify their authenticity. My first challenge was this, a particular party agent was claiming the name of his party and another party. He was representing party A and also party B using different name. I told him he will only choose one while I wait for the original representative of B. But guys, this guys are so smart that the name they will give you will tally with the one INEC gave you without even showing them, which means they are also the party A, B and C but trying to cause confusion.

Op please explain this no.7 better. thanks

Tanks OP,hw many corps member who b use @ each polling unit?