Kogi Guber poll: NDI tasks INEC, security, stakeholders on peaceful election

The National Democratic Institute (NDI) has charged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies, and other stakeholders to ensure a violence free and credible conduct of the November 16 governorship election in Kogi state.

The Senior Programmes Manager of the institute, Mr Bem Aga, gave the charge at the opening of a three-day advocacy, community and voter education training for ‘Vote Not Fight’ strategy committee members and local government areas coordinators Tuesday in Lokoja.

The campaign, supported by NDI, UKaid, USAID in partnership with the 2Baba Foundation and Youngsters, is being implemented in Kogi by Participation Initiative for Behavioural Change in Development (PIBCID).

Aga said the theme, “securing the 2019 governorship election in Kogi state: role of stakeholder consensus, commitments and collective action, was aimed at ensuring consensus for free, fair, and credible election in the state.

He noted that there is need for consensus, commitment and collective actions among stakeholders such as INEC, security agencies, political actors, youths, traditional institutions and faith based organisations to secure the desired peaceful election.

“The National Democratic Institute, “is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization working to support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide through citizen participation, openness and accountability in government”, he stated.

Aga said the NDI would support PIBCID with grants to ensure sustained advocacy and awareness campaign amongst youths and other stakeholders in Kogi on the need to eschew violence in the forthcoming election.

The Executive Director of PIBCID, Mrs Gift Omoniwa, assured the coalition of NGOs of the readiness of her organisation to work towards attainment of a peaceful election through advocacy and awareness campaign.

Also speaking, the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner Prof James Apam, represented by the commission’s administrative secretary, Alhaji Sadiq Abubakar, promised unconditional support and provision of materials for the three-day training.

Also, Apam assured that INEC would neither be partisan nor takes side in the exercise adding that it would provide level playing ground and be transparent to make the election credible and rancour free.

Leave a Reply