By Angela Atabo
Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room has called on candidates and political parties to abide by the peace accord and obey the provisions of the Electoral Act during the elections.
The Coalition of CSOs made the call while presenting the findings of their preliminary assessment of Nigeria’s pre-election environment ahead of the 2023 General Election.
Convener Situation Room, Ene Obi, said the study showed that in the final hours before the elections there are several reports of security challenges in some parts of the country.
She said this was particularly noticeable in the South East, North West and Lagos.
“On Thursday, Feb. 23, Nigerians received the shocking news of the assassination of the Senatorial candidate of the Labour Party for Enugu East Senatorial District, Mr Oyibo Chukwu, and five supporters, by unknown persons.
“ Situation Room is worried that this attack could affect the political atmosphere in the State and increase tension in the South East region of the country.
“By afternoon of the same day, the convoy of the Presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party, (NNPP), Sen. Rabi’u Kwankwaso, and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Abba Yusuf, were attacked in Kofa town, Bebeji Local Government Area, Kano State.
“Ìt is crucial that candidates and parties have a moral and legal obligation to abide by the Peace Agreement, as there will be consequences for reneging in the agreement in accordance with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022.’’
Obi said that with barely a few hours to the elections, fuel scarcity and bank queues remained, adding to the already tense atmosphere.
She said that the Situation Room recognised that certain areas in Lagos State could potentially be hot spots as the elections progress.
“In light of these, Situation Room finds it incumbent for security services especially the Nigeria Police within the State to prioritise creating a secure environment for citizens to exercise their franchise.
“ Situation Room strongly condems the killings and any acts of election violence and urges authorites to stem further violence to create an enabling environment for peaceful, free and fair elections.’’
Obi said that the Situation Room has received reports from its field observers and other election observer networks on movement of elections materials.
The report indicates that INEC has begun the movement of sensitive materials from the State branches of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to the Local Government Areas across the country.
She said that the group commended the progress made on the movement of sensitive materials and look forward to successful deployments across the country.
She said that Situation Room urged INEC to remain neutral during the election process.
She said that it is important that the Commission monitored the activities of its officials and ensure that they conduct the electoral process in a fair and credible manner.
“Situation Room is closely watching and will keep receiving reports of incidence on our contact details,’’ she said. (NAN
