By Daniel Michael, Abuja
A coalition of civil society organizations, led by the Centre for Credible Leadership and Citizens Awareness, has urged stakeholders to ensure a free, fair, and credible governorship election in Edo State come September 21.
The group, with mandate to observe pre- and post-election activities emphasized the importance of impartiality and neutrality by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and law enforcement agencies.
The Director General of the Centre, Dr Nwambu Gabriel, called for the issuance of Permanent Voters Cards to all eligible electorates, refrain from harassing law-abiding citizens, and upholding the principles of equity, fairness, and justice in the electoral process.
They also denounced alleged plans to manipulate the election through voter inducement, and recruitment of youths for election thuggery, warning that perpetrators should be made to face prosecution and visa restrictions.
The coalition appealed to stakeholders to adhere to the principles of the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act 2022, ensuring a smooth electoral process and a credible outcome.
With 36 days to the election, the group’s call for a free and fair election resonates with the aspirations of Edo people and the international community.
“As you all know, the election is not an event; it is a process. This process takes effect from the date INEC, which is a commission saddled with the constitutional responsibility of conducting transparent, free, fair, and credible elections, makes public the election timetable for the governorship election,” he advised.
“It is exactly 36 days to the Edo state governorship election. As part of our mandate, we observe the pre-election, election, and post-election activities. We also observe the conduct of the Election Management Body (EMB), the conduct of the Police, which is the lead agency in charge of internal security, the NSCDC, the Military, and all the security agencies deployed to ascertain if their conduct is consistent with the extant laws and the provisions of the
“Voters inducement, including the buying and selling of votes, is an issue that needs to be tackled head-on. With the increasing poverty level in Nigeria, this has become a common feature in most elections.
Perpetrators of such practices should be swiftly arrested and brought to justice.
Additionally, it is crucial that the public witnesses the prosecution of these offenders to demonstrate a commitment to preserving the integrity of the electoral system. This would also serve as a deterrent to individuals who intend to perpetrate such crimes in the future.
“As a coalition of rights organizations, we remain firm to ensuring that things are done right to reflect the wishes of Edo electorates in the coming election.
“To ensure a smooth electoral process, we call upon the network service providers, such as MTN, Glo Mobile, and Airtel, to ensure uninterrupted service in Edo state throughout the country.
