By Chimezie Godfrey
The League of Women Voters of Nigeria(NILOWV) has called on INEC, security agencies and other key stakeholders to prosecute those responsible for undermining the integrity of the electoral process to serve as a deterrent to others in future elections.
Okiemute Olori, the program manager/ Head Observers Team who made this call during a press briefing on Friday in Abuja decried the widespread of violence in Kogi East and Kogi West which resulted in women being driven out of polling units.
Olori disclosed that Lokoja LGA recorded the highest numbers of incidences of violence in Kogi West with 4 persons reportedly killed in Adankolo.
She added that violence was also recorded in Ganaja and phase 2, among other places, with ballot boxes snatched amidst sporadic shootings with some security operatives giving cover for the thugs to operate.
She pointed out that the election in Kogi state was poorly secured as the process was taken over by armed thugs and hoodlums after the opening of the polls.
The Program Manager, revealed that armed security operatives were openly seen firing gunshots at polling units to disperse Voters while hoodlums had a field day carting away ballot boxes and destroying some.
She said for instance, at Ugwolawo in Ofu LGA, an elderly woman was beaten up together with her daughter who stood in her defense of voting for a candidate of her choice.
The league therefore called on relevant authorities to prosecute all those who perpetrated violence, and other crimes during the Kogi state elections.
“The League of Women Voters of Nigeria therefore calls on INEC, Security agencies, and other key stakeholders to hold those responsible for undermining the integrity of the electoral process and prosecute them in accordance with the electoral act 2010, and other extant laws, to serve as a deterrent to others in future elections.
“The league urges Nigerian women not to be deterred by the violence that took the shine off the elections, and lending their voices to Advocate for peaceful elections in Nigeria,” Olori said.
She also revealed that there was vote trading during the elections through a sophisticated network of party merchants, with party agents watching voters closely to interfere in the voting patterns and influence for their parties and candidates.
Speaking earlier on the Bayelsa state elections, she said that the state elections was generally peaceful except for some pockets of violence which was witnessed in Ekeremo and Nembe local government areas, which no casualty was recorded.
She applauded the security operatives at Bayelsa state elections who conducted themselves in a professional manner and maintained peace and orderliness in the polling units.
According to her, elections in Bayelsa state this time can be adjudged to be more peaceful compared to previous elections conducted in the state.
The League of Women Voters of Nigeria, a network of Nigerian women in all 36 states of Nigeria and FCT, deployed 120 observers for the observation of the governorship elections in both Kogi and Bayelsa on the 16th of November 2019.
