A former National Commissioner, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Professor Okechukwu Ibeanu said one of the causes of electoral violence in Nigeria, is the fact that the reports of investigation panels are never implemented.
This view was expressed by other stakeholders in Abuja at the policy dialogue tagged,”Citizens’ Rights and Impact of Insecurity on the 2023 General Elections” organised by The Electoral Hub and sponsored by the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA).
He said one of the causes of electoral violence in Nigeria, is the fact that the reports of investigation panels are never implemented.
Also speaking, the Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), Professor, Adele Jinadu, decried the fact that law and order has not effectively been used to protect the citizens, adding the rising spate of banditry, insurgency and other security challenges are as a result of the failure of the state.
Prof Jinadu urged that more should be done to complete the effort of INEC in securing the environment elections are conducted.
On election malpractice, the Executive Director, The Electoral Hub, Princess Hamman-Obels, called on Nigerians not to allow themselves to be induced with money by politicians, adding that both the seller or buyer of votes are guilty of elections malpractice.
She decried the current spate of insecurity that has led to the destruction of INEC offices, electoral materials, adding that this would adversely affect INEC’s preparations for the elections.
She equally empathized with Nigerians going through the prevailing economic hardship occasioned by the naira redesign policy of the CBN, and persistent fuel scarcity, as her heart went to mothers who could hardly feed their children.
She said the insecurity in the South-East, North-East, and the other pockets of insecurity across the country,
She said the current fuel scarcity and currency scarcity is adding to this tension already, these cut across the whole nation, people can barely eat now.
