Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba
Participants at a meeting of stakeholders in Asaba, Delta State have expressed concern about threats of violence and voters’ boycott of the March 18, 2023 rescheduled governorship and house of assembly election particularly in Delta State due to widespread disatisfaction with the conduct of the February 25, 2023 presidential and nationv polls by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The stakeholders, including traditional rulers, the Nigeria Police, Nigeria Immigration Service, CSOs, Nigeria Correctional Services, FRSC, ASUU, the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Delta Market Women association, National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), accredited domestic election observers and media practioners, bared their minds at the one day meeting organized by the Centre for Transparency Advocacy (CTA) held at Golden Tulips Hotel Asaba at the weekend.
As an accredited Domestic Observer Group that worked side-by-side their foreign counterparts during the 25th February election with deployment of 2,000 observers across the country, the Centre garnered firsthand, real-time information on the conduct of the exercise, describing it a mixed bag of desirable and undesirable experiences.
While acknowledging the existence of certain challenges like logistics, inadequacy of security personnel to man all the polling centres and ignorance of numerous people on how to actually vote, the stakeholders expressed dismay that too many politicians and INEC officials fell foul of the Electoral Act regarding the conduct of political parties, candidates and their agents as well as the officials of the commission.
They were unanimous that the vote-trading is undemocratic and that the idea of people shunning elections, especially at this time that many more Nigerians were displaying so much enthusiasm about participating in the electoral process, would greatly endanger democracy in the country.
They called on the main actors, who might have suffered electoral losses during the previous tranche of the general election, to give peace and free choice a chance, warning political parties not to make the rescheduled governorship and state legislative election a do-or-die affair.
The warning was prompted by indications that some candidates and their supporters were threatening to deal with people who did not vote for party or candidates.
The participants also bemoaned that fact that INEC personnel in Delta State and members of political parties under the ausipices of the state Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) were the only invited stakeholders that did not honour the invitation to such a crucial meeting that drew participants from across the 25 local governments of Delta State.
The Asagba of Asaba, Obi (Prof) Chike Edozien, who was represented by Chief (Dr) Christopher C. Chukwurah, pleaded with all politicians and the INEC to keep to the Rules of Engagement, even as he pleaded with members of the NURTW in the state to help eliminate logistics challenges by making assigned vehicles ready for early delivery of election materials.
Earlier in her welcome address, the Executive Director of Centre for Transparency Advocacy (CTA), Engr Faith Nwadishi, demanded appropriate sanctions against everybody that flouted the Electoral Act 2022, including politicians who visited polling centres with a retinue of aides and leaders who displayed their ballot papers while casting their votes as well as INEC staff who sabotaged the electoral process.
While suing for improved process towards the 18the March governorship and houses of assembly elections, Nwadishi said that it was self-evident that the presidential election fell below the expectations of Nigerians, decrying the numerous cases of electoral violence at polling centres in Delta State.
Despite misgivings in some quarters about certain outcomes of the last election, particularly the B-VAS not uploading results real-time, Nigerians must continue to be encouraged to participate actively in the March 18, 2023 election and future election because election, like security, remains everybody’s business, the stakeholders stressed.
Nwadishi said, “It is our belief that the challenges noted from the February 25, 2023 elections will be tackled to the satisfaction of Nigerians, especially issues arising from the non-upload of election results from the polling units. Security lapses should be plugged while compromised INEC staff should be removed, prosecuted and punished accordingly.
“Hopefully, security agencies with INEC will serve the interest of the people while building on their recent successes in the last off-season elections especially the Ekiti and Osun states governorship elections by the deployment of the Bi-modal Voter Accreditation System (B-VAS) for what it is designed for.
“It is also important as stakeholders to ensure that all voices are heard especially those of the vulnerable groups such as women, youth and people living with disability.
Nwadishi further said, “It is our belief that the challenges noted from the February 25, 2023 elections will be tackled to the satisfaction of Nigerians, especially issues arising from the non-upload of election results from the polling units. Security lapses should be plugged while compromised INEC staff should be removed, prosecuted and punished accordingly.
“Hopefully, security agencies with INEC will serve the interest of the people while building on their recent successes in the last off-season elections especially the Ekiti and Osun states governorship elections by the deployment of the Bi-modal Voter Accreditation System (B-VAS) for what it is designed for.
“It is also important as stakeholders to ensure that all voices are heard especially those of the vulnerable groups such as women, youth and people living with disability.
“The Centre for Transparency Advocacy (CTA) will be deploying observers across the 25 LGAs in Delta and the rest 749 Local Government Areas in Nigeria. These observers have been trained on Election Observation and adherence to INEC Election Guidelines. The CTA set up an Election Day Situation Room in Abuja during the February 25, 2023 elections and will be doing so here in Asaba to receive reports in real time from the field observers.
“In conclusion, we advise that citizens should shun voting buying and selling which undermines the election, that candidates should campaign based on issues and not for heating up the polity and creating fears in the heart of people who want to vote. Also, security agencies should assure the masses of adequate protection within the election periods.”
