The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has urged political parties and their supporters to see the March 18 governorship and state assembly elections in Nigeria as a contest and not war.
Development Diaries reports that the state-level elections will be held in 28 of Nigeria’s 36 states.
The INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, during a meeting of the Inter-agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, noted that the state elections would involve 1,021 constituencies – 28 governorship and 993 state assembly candidates.
‘It is therefore important for parties and candidates to speak to their agents and supporters to see the elections as a contest and not war’, he said.
‘They should refrain from acts of violence that may mar the elections or compromise the security of our personnel, observers, the media and service providers’.
While the INEC chairman has admonished parties and candidates to speak to their supporters to refrain from violence, voters also need to be assured of security protection when exercising their civic responsibility.
The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Usman Baba, has reportedly directed police commands to handle all cases of electoral offences expeditiously.
In a recent statement, the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) called on the police leadership to sound a note of warning to all the commissioners of police to resist the temptation to become puppets to state governors.
RULAAC also stressed the need for them to remain neutral and ensure that all personnel under them also remain and act with neutrality, integrity and professionalism.
Development Diaries calls on INEC to review its electoral logistics operations strategy to ensure timely deployment of electoral material and personnel.
We also call on political candidates and their supporters to desist from engaging in smear campaigns or religious and ethnic-based campaigns.
Citizens, on their part, should ensure they are not distracted by last-minute political gimmicks by candidates but pay attention to how these candidates present possible solutions to issues affecting them.
