A coalition of over 400 human rights organisation, under the aegis of Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) has raised fears that the economic hardship in Nigeria could be a recipe for vote trading in the Edo State governorship election scheduled for September 21.
The organisation which said it had trained 100 observers for the election called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to deploy enough personnel to monitor vote buying and selling in polling units.
The chairman of TMG, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, at a press conference in Abuja, said with the experiences of the 2023 general elections and the off-cycle elections in Imo, Kogi, and Bayelsa still fresh in the minds of citizens, there is still skepticism regarding the credibility of elections in Nigeria.
According to him, unfortunately, the skepticism bothers the conduct of the Independent National Election Commission (INEC), political parties and their candidates as well as the security agencies and party supporters.
He said, “Although there were report of vote trading with money and other materials things during the 2023 general elections, we are concerned that the current economic situations in the country might push citizens to sell their votes to the highest bidder. We call on the Economic Finance and Crime Commission (EFCC) to deploy adequate monitors/personnel ahead and during the election to deter, arrest and prosecute perpetuators of vote buying and selling.
“The TMG urges the voters in Edo to desist from selling their votes as it only enables to entrenchment of bad leaders who have no desire to better the welfare of the people but only to amass wealth from public funds.”
The TMG also raised concern over the danger of voter apathy, advising citizens to understand that democracy is about citizens participation and elections present the best opportunity for citizens to express their will and power.
Rafsanjani said, “Citizen’s participation especially in large numbers also reduces manipulation opportunities for the political actors. Voter apathy is not the right way to go, do not allow a few people to decide who governs the state in the next four years. TMG calls on the citizens of the state go out in their large numbers to exercise their franchise to cast their votes for the candidates of their choice. Nonetheless, citizens should desist from aiding and abetting malpractices, shun vote trading and keep an eagle eye on their votes.”
Non-election Related Violence
“According to reports, there have equally been pockets of non-election related violence arising from activities such as cult group clashes and communal crises. These situations can impact the peaceful process of the election and should be dealt with by the security agencies.
TMG Observation Deployment Plan
“While the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) is already monitoring and observing the pre-election environment in Edo State, it will also be observing and documenting the election day activities. As usual, TMG has recruited and trained (100) election day observers to be deployed across all the Local government areas of the states.
“The observers will be retrained close to the election day to and will be deployed to observe and report through a digital on-the-spot reporting tool which has been developed by TMG’s ICT team. Also, TMG will establish a Central Data Centre located in Abuja managed by trained Data Clerks to interface with field observers, collate and analyze reports from the field.
Recommendation
‘Election is not war or a do-or-die affair. It is simply a civic matter. Political parties should play by the rules of the game and shun violence including inciting statements and utterances capable of leading to violence. This is critical as TMG will continue to monitor the activities of political parties and their supporters now, during and after the election.
“INEC staff and other electoral officials must conduct and hold themselves to the highest order. Logistic preparation must be top-notch to eliminate scepticism about the credibility of the election.
“The Nigeria police, other security agencies, law enforcement agencies should not stand aloof while unruly people commit crimes or take laws into their hands before, during and after the elections. At the same time, security agents must desist from being used as enablers of malpractices and mayhem during the election.
“Faith-based organizations, civil society organizations, and traditional and religious leaders should foster peace in their relationships with candidates and political parties in the build of to the September 21, 2024, elections in Edo state.
“Candidates are encouraged to speak to the issues, convey their messages to the citizens and supporters focusing on their manifesto without resorting to personal attack. By now, all the candidates are expected to have documented their manifestos to serve as reference material to the public which the citizen can use as bases to track their performance in office.
“We urge Edo people to participate fully in the governorship election to cast their votes for their preferred parties and candidates. Citizens must conduct themselves peacefully and serve as agents of protection of the credibility of the election by ensuring observance of the process. Voters must desist and reject any attempt to buy their votes as that has not been seen to bring about good governance anywhere in Nigeria. The TMG wishes Edo state a free, fair, transparent, violent free and credible election.”
Friday Olokor
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