Idris Ahmed, Lokoja.
Following confirmations of electoral malpractices and violence during elections across the country by the tribunals and courts at various levels, a Civil Society Organisation, the Centre for Advocacy of Justice and Rights (CAJR)) in conjunction with International Foundation for Election System ( IFES) has advised the Security Agencies to prosecute all offenders.
The organisations also advised the stakeholders to ensure that election malpractices were curtailed and to bridge. the communication gap with enhanced voters education and sensitization.
The group cited Kogi state as an example where election malpractices and violence were glaring as confirmed by a National Commissioner of INEC Mallam Mahamoud Haruna and other stakeholders.
They therefore call on the relevant security agencies to be patriotic to arrest and prosecute all those that were involved in violence and election malpractice during the November, 2019 election to serve as deterrence to others.
Mr Kingsly Obida, the project coordinator of the group, in his address at the press conference in Lokoja during the official presentation of Nigeria Election Violence Report (NEVR) of the 2019 governorship election in Kogi State.bemoaned high rate of violence deployed on the people before, during and after the gubernatorial election that led to the death of no fewer than 11 persons across Kogi State.
Obida noted that the report was all encompassing as it has to consider activities of the political actors in the pre election, during, and post election, lamented at the high incidences of violence by the political actors in collusion with some security Agencies.
He stressed that the forms of election violence recorded as monitored by the group, were the clashes between and within political parties , thugs intimidation and threats to voters, political arrest, physical harm , violence against women and destruction to private properties.
The Coordinator added that the rate of violence was highest in the Kogi East with 50 per cent cases with Dekina and Ankpa LGAs the worst hit, and West with 30 per cent, while the Central senatorial zone recorded a minimal incidence of violence through out the election period.
The report noted that there were 20 cases of murder in overall, with Madam Salime Achefu Abuh, who was burnt alive in her country home at Ochadamu, saying 45 incidences of intimidation, 18 cases of destruction of properties that included posters , billboards, cars of political opponents damaged through out the election period.
The group lamented that in Lokoja metropolis over 20 ballot boxes were snatched by unknown gunmen while votes buying assisted by some security officials and election officials were recorded.
They added that arrest of some members of opposition parties before the election was highest in the western senatorial zone of the state.
Obida explained that the Centre for Advocacy of Justice and Rights, had engaged series of activities which included hot spot mapping, flash points and areas with history of violence during election, and the training of monitors were carried out.
He added that the organization’s 45 trained monitors were deployed two months ahead of the election to the 21 Local Government Areas to monitor political atmosphere before, during and after the election.
Also speaking, Mrs Judith Abiem hinted that the CAJR assignment was a comprehensive project which needed a deliberate and systematic effort to give an incontrovertible report of the whole process leading to the conduct of the 2019 Kogi governorship election.
Abiem added that the organisation need not to be in a hurry to submit its report to the public but to cover activities of the election management body, the Security Agencies, the political parties even after the conduct of the election with the views to present a report that would be the true reflection of the election.
Abiem who is the Project Coordinator of IFES commended CAJR for her meticulous service.
