– Issued in Benin City @12:00noon on Friday, 20th September 2024.
INTRODUCTION
The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room (the Situation Room) has adequately prepared to observe the Edo State Governorship Election scheduled for 21st September 2024. The Situation Room and its partner organizations have deployed a cumulative of 4,000 trained accredited and citizen observers to follow up the conduct of the election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and its ad-hoc staff, security agencies, political parties, voters, and other key stakeholders. Our primary objective is to ensure that the election is conducted in full compliance with the Electoral Act, INEC Guidelines, and all relevant laws that guarantee a free, fair, peaceful and credible process.
Situation Room has engaged stakeholders including civic groups, INEC, Political Parties, Security agencies and traditional and religious institutions in the buildup to the election. The Situation Room acknowledges the tense atmosphere leading up to this election. Reports of potential infractions, allegations of security agencies’ bias, and fears of violence have heightened public anxiety. It is imperative that all stakeholders play their roles responsibly to ensure a peaceful and credible election.
Our preliminary assessments have revealed areas of concern, and we wish to address these points while calling for a credible process.
OBSERVATIONS
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)
INEC plays a pivotal role in ensuring the credibility of this election. While we commend the assurances provided by INEC and the Resident Electoral Commissioner regarding election preparedness, there remain critical areas that must be addressed:
- Timely Opening of Polling Units: INEC must ensure that polling units open on time and that election staff are punctual. Delayed polling undermines the credibility of the process and disenfranchises voters.
- Efficient Logistics: Election materials and personnel must be deployed to all polling units promptly. Inefficient logistics, such as election officials arriving late or being misdirected, have hampered previous elections. INEC must ensure vehicles and personnel are adequately briefed on their routes to avoid delays. INEC should ensure that materials already deployed to the RACs and super RACs are secured and redeployed to the polling units’ on time.
- BVAS Functionality: The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) is expected to function optimally based on the report from mock test. INEC must ensure that the trained personnel are readily available to handle technical issues swiftly, ensuring that voters are not disenfranchised due to faulty equipment.
- Voter Education: We urge INEC to intensify voter education efforts, particularly at the last minute, to combat voter apathy and ensure that citizens understand the importance of their participation in this election.
- Contingency Plan for Flood Mitigation: Following the commitment made by the INEC REC of Edo State at the Situation Room Meeting with him that INEC will develop and deploy a contingency plan in the event of heavy rainfall on election-day, we expect that the Commission has communicated this plan to the voting community and relevant stakeholders and ensure suitable mechanisms are put in place to address adverse effect of flooding during the election.
- Priority Voting for Voters with Disability and Vulnerable persons: The Situation Room encourages INEC to ensure that people with disability and other vulnerable persons like pregnant women are accorded priority attention at polling units and ensure assistive materials are effectively utilized.
Security Agencies
We appreciate the assurances of the Nigeria Police Force, as the lead election security agency, in providing adequate security for a peaceful election. Based on our preliminary observations and the need for effective election security, we call on the Security agencies to take the following into consideration:
- Visibility without Intimidation: While a high level of police deployment is essential to deter breach of electoral peace, the presence of security forces must not be seen as intimidating to voters. Excessive displays of force can suppress voter turnout and contribute to an atmosphere of fear.
- Consistency in Deployment: In past elections, we observed that security deployment has been uneven, with more officers concentrated in urban areas, leaving rural communities under-secured. The deployment must be evenly spread across both urban and rural areas to prevent isolated disruptions.
- Professionalism and Accountability: The police and other security agencies must maintain impartiality throughout the electoral process. Security lapses in previous elections, despite promises of adequate deployment, have undermined public trust. We urge the police to ensure their officers uphold the law without bias, ensuring that election-day activities proceed without undue interference or violence.
- Logistics and Welfare: We urge security agencies to ensure that officers deployed for the election are provided with adequate transportation, welfare, and resources timely, to enable them perform their duties effectively. Relying solely on INEC provisions for ad-hoc staff has been problematic in the past, and this must be addressed.
- Protection of Polling Units and Collation Centers: Adequate security must be provided at all polling units, collation centers, and for the transportation of election materials. We equally call on the security agencies to be vigilant while manning the entry points to polling units to apprehend would-be hoodlums commissioned to disrupt the election process. We insist on transparency during collation, and any form of exclusion of accredited agents and observers must be avoided to ensure trust in the process.
- Delay of deployment of security personnel: The leadership of security agencies must ensure that their parades and briefings on Election Day do not delay the movement of election materials to the polling units.
- Contact and Deployment: Situation Room is concerned with the late release of Police election-day telephone hotlines and non-availability of deployment detail for easy communication and accountability. We are, therefore, encouraging the Police and other security agencies to ensure their contact centres are effective and can respond to reported issues promptly.
Political Parties
Political parties are critical players in ensuring the success of the electoral process. We urge them to adopt the following measures:
- Tone down Rhetoric: Political parties should refrain from inflammatory statements and hate speech that could incite violence or deter voters from participating.
- Discourage Vote Buying: Political parties must avoid engaging in any form of electoral malpractice, particularly vote buying. Such activities undermine the legitimacy of the election and erode public trust in democracy.
- Mobilize Peacefully: Political parties should mobilize their supporters to vote in a peaceful and orderly manner, ensuring that polling agents respect the process and do not interfere with the conduct of the election.
Edo Voters
Situation Room calls on all eligible voters to come out and exercise their civic duty on Election Day without fear, while avoiding being used by rogue politicians to undermine the electoral process. To this end, we urge voters to do the following:
- Vote Peacefully: Voters should be orderly and peaceful at polling units and avoid any actions that could disrupt the process or intimidate others.
- Reject Vote Selling: Selling votes is illegal and undermines the future of Edo State. Voters must resist the temptation to exchange their votes for money or other inducements, as their future welfare and the quality of governance depend on the choices they make.
- Timely turnout: Edo voters are encouraged to go to their polling units on time to exercise their franchise. Given the regular raining situation, it is important for voters to come out early to avoid being trapped by rain.
Election Observers: For observers, it’s crucial to maintain a high standard of integrity and impartiality. Observers must prioritize accurate and unbiased reporting of events and processes, refraining from being influenced by external pressures or political interests. Any attempt to manipulate reports or distort facts undermines the credibility of the electoral process and compromises public trust. To ensure transparency, observers should verify all information with credible sources, document their findings meticulously, and uphold their duty to report objectively, contributing to a fair and credible election outcome for the people of Edo State.
Conclusion
Elections in Edo State have previously been fraught with tension, but we remain hopeful that this governorship election will mark a departure from past fears and irregularities.
We call on all stakeholders, INEC, security agencies, political parties, and voters to abide by the Electoral Act and INEC’s Guidelines and Regulations to deliver a free, fair, and credible election. We also call on INEC and Security Agencies to ensure that observers have full access to the Collation Centres.
The Situation Room and other independent observers are committed to ensuring that the will of Edo voters is respected. We will continue to observe and report on the process to ensure accountability at every stage.
SIGNED:
Y.Z Ya’u
Convener, Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room
Mimidoo Achakpa
Co-Convener, Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room
Franklin Oloniju
Co-Convener, Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room
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The Situation Room is made up of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) working in support of credible elections and governance in Nigeria numbering more than seventy. The Steering Committee is made up of: Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC), CLEEN Foundation, Action Aid Nigeria, Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), YIAGA Africa, TAF Africa, Emma Ezeazu Centre for Good Governance and Accountability (formerly Alliance for Credible Elections, Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), Kimpact Development Initiative, Democratic Action Group (DAG), Women’s Rights to Education Programme, Joint National Association of Persons with Disability (JONAPWD), DIG Ebonyi, New Initiative for Social Development (NISD), Life And Peace Development Organization (LAPDO), Rural Youth Initiative, Challenged Parenthood Initiative (CPI), Centre for Health and Development in Africa (CHEDA) and Josemaria Escriva Foundation.
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