By Lola Idahosa, Kaduna
A Human Rights Activist, Comrade Festus Okoye has identified some factors that could affect the smooth conduct of the 2015 General Elections in Nigeria.
These he said include logistics, recruitment of unbiased adhoc staff, internal division among INEC officials, subversion of internal democracy within political parties, insurgency, internally displaced persons from the three frontline states and the question of eligibility of President Goodluck Jonathan to contest the election as well as the ongoing poor distribution of permanent voters card.
Comrade Okoye who spoke at this year’s Press Week of the Kaduna State Council of the NUJ, said unless some of these challenges were resolved, the election could be marred.
The human rights activist emphasized that from the poor distribution of permanent voters card, thousands of eligible Nigerians could be disenfranchised while those who fled their areas of abode in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa as a result of the insurgency would not vote in the elections thereby posing legal implications.
This situation, he said, calls for concern which should be faced squarely to show the international community that Nigeria was capable of conducting smooth, credible and fair elections.
Comrade Okoye also wants politicians to be committed to a Code of Conduct on the need to play the game according to the rules, while the media and civil society groups should cause INEC to speak out whether it has the wherewithal to conduct the impending elections.
Okoye however enjoined Nigerians to have at the back of their minds, that the 2015 General Elections must be about the survival of democracy by collectively ensuring that it was free, fair and transparent.
Declaring the Press Week open, Governor Ramalan Yero of Kaduna State charged the media to always be objective and factual in their reportage.
He also wants the media to assist the country to win the war against the insurgents similar to the role played during the ebola disease.
