Michael Olugbode in Abuja
Ahead of the February 2023 general election, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has said it would organise a town hall for gubernatorial candidates in 18 states of the federation beginning from February 1 to 3, 2023.
A statement issued yesterday by NHRC chieftain, Fatimah Mohammed, said the commission would be organising the town hall in collaboration with Civil Society Organisations, United Nations System in Nigeria and the media, noting that this is “targeted at making human rights issues part of the election discussion, improving citizens’ participation in the general election, deepening our democracy and the overall safety of citizens before, during after the elections.”
The Executive Secretary of the commission, Chief Tony Ojukwu, while making the disclosure in Abuja, stated that the town hall would provide an opportunity for governorship candidates of all the political parties in the country to highlight their plans and views on key issues of promotion and protection of human rights of citizens in their respective states.
According to Ojukwu, since the primary purpose of government is the security and welfare of citizens, “it is important to engage governorship candidates to clearly state what they have to offer to the people, particularly their plans on human rights protection. It is important to extract commitments from these candidates to close the widening gap in healthcare services, education, food security, potable water, sanitation, electricity, good road networks, brutality and impunity, civil protests and most importantly, the shrinking of civic space.”
The NHRC boss said the effort is a part of the larger project, Mobilising Voters for Election (MOVE), designed to improve the overall electoral process in the country.
A similar event was held for the presidential candidates on December 10, 2022, and each candidate at the town hall spoke on how he would fulfil and promote human rights in the country.
The commission’s leader noted that as elections draw near, political parties and their candidates should focus their campaign on human rights issues and not hate speeches while presenting their manifestoes to Nigerians. “This will further serve as a self-assessment of the commitment to social contract of democracy,” the executive secretary added.
The town hall is scheduled to take place in the following states: Akwa Ibom, Abia, Enugu, Ebonyi, Niger, Delta, Rivers, Nassarawa, Plateau, Adamawa, Lagos, Oyo, Ogun, Kaduna, Cross River, Kano, Kwara and Bauchi.
