June 15, (THEWILL)- Stakeholders in the electoral process have urged the Independents National Electoral Commission (INEC) to review its operations ahead of the next electoral cycle, saying there is a need for early engagement with grassroots to build trust and confidence in the electoral system.
They also urged the National Assembly to ensure the completion of the amendment of the Electoral Act and the review of the Constitution, at least two years before the general election.
The District Head of Maisandari, Abba Bukar, who spoke on behalf of the stakeholders at a town hall meeting held in Maiduguri with the theme: “Peacebuilding, Climate Resilience, and Indigenous Strategies in Borno State”, said they came together to reflect on the outcomes and learnings of previous general elections, as well as advocate sustainable peace and strengthened democracy.
According to him, such moves would enable all stakeholders and citizens of the country to fully understand the changes made to the laws for effective implementation and compliance.
“Election plays a crucial role in our democratic values. It is everyone’s business and INEC should review their approach so that we can have peaceful and acceptable elections,” he said.
The Senior Programme Officer, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Borno State, Mohammed Bukar, highlighted the need for early preparation and increased sensitisation and awareness creation on voter education and the Electoral Act 2022.
“It has been over a year since the general elections in most Nigerian states took place. I think this kind of multi-stakeholder engagement seeks to reflect and share indigenous approaches deployed during the last election, key successes and lessons learned for improvement in future elections,” he said.
Also speaking, the Consortium Manager, SOS Children’s Villages in Nigeria, David Gabriel, said the town hall meeting aims to underscore the seriousness of SOS Children’s Villages for credible and transparent elections in the country.
His words: “We want to review community strategies that worked during last year’s elections and to get their feedback as well as their observations, and that’s why we converged all the stakeholders in this place today. We have INEC, security agencies, traditional and religious leaders, market associations, women’s groups, youth groups, students, and Persons Living with disabilities.
“We want the future elections to be participatory, inclusive and peaceful. The new things we should be expecting. You will see community-driven action; it is much better when the community people drive the process. Based on the conversations that happened here today, you could see that before, during and after the elections each group had something they contributed to the conduct of elections we have had.”
He noted that the stakeholders expressed commitment to work closely with the relevant authorities to ensure the recommendations from the town hall meeting are incorporated into the ongoing efforts to strengthen electoral processes and promote sustainable peace and democracy.
“As they leave here today, they will be working towards ensuring that they participate in the processes in order to get better results in their communities and the state at large,” he added.
The project was funded by the European Union and implemented by the European Union Support to Democratic Governance Programme in Nigeria (EU SDGN II) in collaboration with SOS Children’s Villages.
About the Author
I am Ladi Dapson, a general writer with thewill. I cover Borno and Yobe states respectively.
I based Maiduguri, Borno State Capital.
I can be reached via [email protected].
Very high and kind regards!
