2011 NIGERIA ELECTION SITUATION ROOM
PRESS RELEASE
Monday March 28, 2011
Situation Room Worried Violence May Threaten Election
Civil Society Organisations working on the 2011 Nigeria elections have raised concern that raging violence across several States of the country poses a serious threat to the conduct of free, fair and credible general elections across the country in April.
According to the Nigeria Elections Situation Room – the forum under which the CSOs operate:
“the unprecedented levels of violence that have seen several people either killed, maimed, kidnapped or intimidated for political reasons pose the single most significant threat to the conduct of general elections beginning in only a few days.”
The Situation Room attributed the violence mostly to the actions of incumbent Governors in specific states that have sought to prevent opposition parties from equal access to public venues for campaigns. The CSOs specifically listed States where incumbents have tried to limit opposition access to public venues as including: Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi, Imo, Nasarrawa, Niger, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Benue, etc.
According to the Situation Room, political parties across board are busy funding and recruiting thugs to inflict violence on their opponents and turning the elections into contests of might rather than of ideas.
The Situation Room raised the concern that on-going violence could hinder large voter turn-out on election days as genuine voters may be frightened away from polling unit out of fear of being attacked. It called on the police authorities to do more
The Situation Room called on Nigerians, particularly the youths to resist being recruited as thugs by political parties as instruments of violence stating that it is the youths that will suffer the consequence of being used as instruments of violence.
Also, the Situation Room commended the Guidelines issued by INEC for voting which provides for accreditation of voters before votes are cast. The Situation Room said it was satisfied with the procedure that requires voters to first be accredited between the hours of 8:00 am and 12:00 noon and thereafter turn up to vote between 12:30 pm and 4:00 pm, stating that the measures if well implemented, will reduce voting abuses.
The Situation Room also welcomed INEC’s announcement that voters could peacefully observe voting at polling units and collation centres, stating that this will further reduce the manipulation and switching of votes by election manipulators on election days.
The Situation Room is a forum comprising more than 40 civil society organisations working on the 2011 general elections, including ActionAid Nigeria, Transition Monitoring Group, Centre for Democracy and Development, Justice Development and Peace Commission, Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre, CLEEN Foundation, Community Life Project/Reclaimnaija, Enough Is Enough, etc.
The 2011 Nigeria Elections Situation Room aims to strengthen civil society synergy on the April elections and foster collective action by civil society to promote accountability throughout the electoral process.
For: 2011 Nigeria Elections Situation Room
Clement Nwankwo
Executive Director, PLAC – Tel: 08038899999
Dr Jibrin Ibrahim
Executive Director, CDD – Tel: 0803 4001200