A Non Governmental Organization in the Niger Delta, Community Initiative for Enhanced Peace and Development (CIEPD), Tuesday June 27, 2023, held a one day election debriefing session on the 2023 general elections.
The exercise which was carried out in conjunction Partnership Initiative in the Niger Delta (PIND), held at the Library, of the World Book Capital, Port Harcourt.
The session was packaged to brainstorm on what went right and what needs to be done for future violence free in the country.
Notable panellists gave their views on field experiences before, during the 2023 general elections for future hitch free electoral processes.
The panellists made up of respected activists, Everest Nwankwo, Courage Nsirimovu (lawyers), Chief Constance Meju and Karl Orakwe, media leaders moderated by Dr. Prince Eze, raised concerns over the failure of the national electoral body, INEC to follow its own rules and the security operatives to ensure safety of votes. They also highlighted the failure of INEC to in line with the 2023 Electoral Act, prosecute electoral offenders to deter future violators.
They recognized that the 2023 general elections was less violent than previous elections and the time table and processes respected until INEC failed to load results as promised which has destroyed public trust in elections.
Participants including representatives of the Nigeria Police and Civil Defence, Persons with Disability and non-governmental organization leaders as well as two young men who contested for state Assembly offices, Hon Chimene Ndah and Hon Olaa O. Olaka ,noted in particular, the exhibition of a high level of executive recklessness throughout the election process, culminating in the connivance with INEC to rob the people of their votes.
To change the narrative, they called for the establishment of an electoral offences tribunal, review of the Electoral Act to accommodate electronic voting and a sack of the INEC chairman Mamood Yakubu for failing to deliver on promises to Nigerians.
Participants also recommended conscious provision of necessary tools like brail, ramp, and interpreters to make it easy for persons with disability to effectively participate in elections.
Welcoming participants, coordinator of CIEPD, Mrs Egondu Ogbalor said the organization is committed to violence prevention and the debriefing will help correct anomalies to provide better opportunity for peaceful elections in future.
She thanked PIND for funding the project which is being implemented in eight violence flashpoint local government areas as well as partners, community network champions and election peace monitors whose inputs helped reduce violence incidents in the targeted areas.
