Search for Common Ground, a non-governmental organisation, says it will partner other organizations in fast-tracking the implemention of its community-based election violence mitigation activities ahead of the Nov.16 governorship election in Kogi.
Mrs Gift Omoniwa Owonipa, Project Coordinator of the organisation in Kogi, told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lokoja Thursday that the intervention was towards ensuring violence-free election in the state.
She said that organisation was currently implementing the Electoral Empowerment for Civil Society Project (EECSP) in Kogi, with the objective of increasing the participation of marginalised groups in the political process.
“In terms of our implementation in Kogi State, we have identified some NGOs that Search for Common Ground will be giving support to implement community-based election violence mitigation activities.
Omoniwa also said her organisation was implementing Early-Warning component as part of the interventions, adding that it had also trained early warning observers across the 21 Local Government Areas of the State.
Also speaking with NAN, Mrs Omolola Mamedu, Early Warning Coordinator of the organisation said they were working in partnership with International Republican Institute (IRI) and National Peace Committee to get the contestants to sign a Peace Accord.
“We want to get the commitment of the governorship candidates to pledge for peace before, during and after the election.
“We want them to pledge that their supporters will not perpetrate violence, and that there will be peace all through the election period”, she said.
Mamedu said that as part of the peace efforts, her organisation, in collaboration with the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), would be hosting the first Media peace day in Kogi, to advocate for peaceful conduct of the election . (NAN)
