A COALITION of Civil Society Groups in Nigeria has called out the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC for failing to include CSOs in the campaign against persistent attacks on their personnel and facilities.
The Coalition, in a statement jointly signed and issued by the Coordinator of the Coalition, Dr Abdullahi Usman and its Secretary, Amb Nwokoma Messiah, called on the umpire body to immediately mobilise groups with proven capacity to engage Nigerians on the dangers such attacks will have on the smooth conduct of the 2023 general elections.
The statement further described the non-mobilisation of members of the Civil Society Groups against the attacks on INEC by the umpire body as a negligence, which must and should be urgently addressed if at all INEC wants a smoother conduct of the general election
“INEC has not done the needful by shutting its doors against mobilising credible CSOs against the attacks they are witnessing in parts of the country. Assuming they can do it themselves is the height of negligence.
“It does not stop at crying in media houses. Something concrete has to be done and that includes mobilising strong, viable and credible organisations to help in the areas of enlightening Nigerians on the folly and negativity of such attacks.
“These organisations are close to the people and can better be understood than depending on themselves to carry out such campaigns.”
On the authenticity of the BVAS, which have been introduced by INEC to checkmate multiple voting, the Coalition said in as much as the intentions of the BVAS as promoted by INEC sound good, it’s ability to function properly has been cast in doubt by the recent Osun Election Tribunal judgement, which invalidated Sen.Ademola Adeleke’s Governorship victory.
The statement then queries how the tribunal judgment can site multiple voting when the BVAS machines were used for the election.
“It surely does not send a right signal and Nigerians should not be blamed for suspecting the ability of INEC to conduct a free, transparent and credible elections this February and March with stories like that”.
“We are calling on INEC to do the needful with better enlightenment not just on television or radio. There are millions of Nigerians that do not have access to these channels, they need to engage people with the outreach to get to the hinterlands and reach out to the people.”
The Coalition the commended INEC for conducting the recent mock accreditation in parts of the country and describing it as a good preparation.
“The problem with the mock accreditation is lack of proper information which would have succeeded if there was proper enlightenment through inclusion of major stakeholders”, it concluded.
