Speaking to reporters on Friday in Abuja, Yiaga Africa’s Director of Programmes, Cynthia Mbamalu, noted that regardless of promises from various parties and candidates regarding peaceful behaviour, there remains a worry about the “unassailable level of insecurity and the spate of violence across the states, especially in Imo and Kogi states.”
She therefore called for enhanced security to allow voters, election observers, and media practitioners participate in the election across the three states.
However, she commended the peace-building initiative in the three states led by the National Peace Committee and called on political parties and candidates to adhere to their commitment to the Peace Accord.
She said, “Yiaga Africa advocates for eleventh-hour confidence-building voter education to improve voter turnout. Deployment of Election Materials: Yiaga Africa notes INEC’s deployment of sensitive and non-sensitive election materials to the Local Government Areas in the three States.
“While this projects a positive outlook, Yiaga Africa calls on INEC to ensure proper coordination and communication with the transport companies/unions providing logistics support to ensure early deployment of materials and personnel to polling units on Election Day.
“The commission should resist attempts to sabotage its logistics preparations by collaborating with security agencies to arrest and prosecute any defaulting transport companies. This will address the recurring late commencement of polls.
“Security Climate: Yiaga Africa notes an increasingly volatile pre-election environment with the spates of attacks in the following LGAs in Imo state, Oguta, Orlu, Orsu, Oru East, Oru West, Okigwe, and Ehime/Mbano and the prevalence of election motivated violence during campaigns in Kogi and Bayelsa states,” it said.
“Undoubtedly, the insecurity will gravely impact the quality of the election in those affected areas if not checked. Yiaga Africa is concerned this volatility could potentially limit voter participation, and the situation could be exploited to intimidate and attack political opponents.”
She urged the people to come out n large numbers, reject attempts to buy votes, and cast their ballots in accordance with their inclinations.
She said the organisation will send observers to all LGAs and state results collation centres following the polls to watch and document the governorship results collation procedure.
“For the November 11 hovernorship election, Yiaga Africa is deploying a comprehensive and systematic observation of the elections, which involves deploying the Process and Results Verification for Transparency, methodology to observe the governorship elections in Imo and Kogi States. Yiaga Africa will also be deploying stationary and roving observers to observe and report the election day process in Bayelsa State,” she stated.
