No Option but to Partner With Yiaga Africa on Election Security, says Ekiti CP
- Ahead of the June 18 gubernatorial elections in Ekiti state, preparations are ongoing by various stakeholders to stage the election
- INEC who recently announced the certified 16 candidates for the election will join other stakeholders like the security agencies and observers to stage the election
- Major election observation group, Yiaga Africa will also take center stage at the gubernatorial polls come June 18
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Ekiti, Ado - The Commissioner of Police in Ekiti State, CP Tunde Mobayo has said the Nigerian Police Force does not have a choice but to collaborate with Civil Society Organizations like Yiaga Africa, Legit.ng reports.
He said due to the level of work they do on building early warning systems and providing information to prevent escalation of election-related violence, it will be difficult to look away.
Source: Twitter
He said the nature of work Yiaga Africa does to support electoral stakeholders has made it impossible not to collaborate with the organization especially ahead of the upcoming Governorship election in Ekiti State.
CP Mobayo said this on Tuesday, March 10 when the board and management of Yiaga Africa’s 'Watching The Vote' team paid an advocacy visit to him at his office in Ado-Ekiti.
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He said:
“your input to Nigeria’s democracy is very fundamental and as important as that of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Nigerian Police”. “Your work in the electoral process is important and unique as your contribution will soften the ground for us."
Ekiti 2022: CP Mobayo lauds Yiaga Africa's exploit in election sensitization
Mobayo welcomed Yiaga Africa’s intervention in the area of providing information on early warning signals and pre-election observation saying this will make the work of Police easier as they plan to provide a peaceful environment ahead of the June 18 electoral showpiece.
Yiaga Africa had earlier reiterated that its mission in Ekiti is to observe the entire electoral process from the pre-election environment, election day and post-election.
During his remark, head of the Yiaga Africa delegation, Ezenwa Nwagwu said the Police is a strategic partner in the process saying they play a crucial role in ensuring credible and peaceful elections.
He said the visit to the commissioner shows:
“the mutuality of our effort in ensuring peaceful elections in Ekiti State”.
In her remark, head of Knowledge Management and Learning, Safiya Bichi revealed that Yiaga Africa will be deploying long term Observers across all Local Government Areas in the state to observe the pre-election environment.
The observation will provide information on indicators of electoral violence like hate speech, gender-based violence amongst others.
Other pre-election activities to be observed according to Bichi include preparatory activities of election stakeholders, political parties’ campaigns, voter education amongst, and the involvement of Women, Youth, and Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in the electoral process.
The Yiaga Africa election observation team also visited the Ewi of Ekiti, His Royal Majesty, Dr Rufus Adeyemo and other political actors as part of advocacy for citizens driven, Credible and peaceful polls.
Other members of the Yiaga Africa delegation to the CP and monarch include Board member, Prof Nnamdi Aduba, Yiaga Africa’s Election Manager, Paul James, Program Officer, Opeyemi Haruna, Media Officer Moshood Isah and State Focal Point for Ekiti State, Gbenga Adesunloro.
Ekiti 2022: INEC unveils final list of governorship candidates
In a related development, INEC released the final list of certified governorship candidates for the forthcoming gubernatorial elections in Ekiti state.
According to INEC, 16 candidates made the final shortlists for the June 18 gubernatorial polls in Ekiti state.
INEC said the list is in accordance with the statutory provision of the 2022 Electoral Act after all political parties had met the standing requirements.
2023: INEC issues fresh directives for voter registration
In another development, the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) has urged citizens to continue voters registration.
The electoral body in its recent stats released for registrants confirmed that it has received over 7000 details for application.
However, INEC said an estimated percentage of 60% has completed the registration process while the remaining 40% are yet to complete the process.
Source: Legit.ng
