– Issued in Abuja @3:00pm on Friday, 19th July 2024.
The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room (Situation Room) notes with concern the rising incidents of pre-election violence in Edo State ahead of the September 21, 2024 Governorship election.
Since April 2024, nineteen major incidents of pre-election violence have been recorded by Situation Room partner, Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI), which is tracking election-related violence ahead of the polls. In many of these incidents, which include shootings and assaults, victims sustained varying degrees of injuries.
The violence reached a new height on Thursday, 18th July 2024, with the killing of a Police Inspector, Onu Ako, in a violent clash between suspected supporters of opposing candidates around the Benin City Airport.
Situation Room is worried that if this dangerous trend is allowed to fester, it will have grave consequences for the September 21st Governorship election. We therefore, call on security agencies to fish out perpetrators of violence and prosecute them accordingly.
Situation Room would like to remind political parties and their candidates that election is a civic affair, not a “do or die affair” and therefore calls on participating parties to play by the rules and ensure a violence-free election.
Situation Room further calls on all stakeholders, particularly civil society as well as religious and traditional institutions, to deepen engagement with candidates and their parties to ensure a peaceful campaign season and credible Governorship election in September 2024.
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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 and transparent elections 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), 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. Other groups are: Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD), Centre LSD, CISLAC, WARD-C, Proactive Gender Initiative (PGI), Enough is Enough Nigeria, WANGONET, JDPC, Yiaga Africa, Development Dynamics, Partners West Africa Nigeria (PWAN), Stakeholder Democracy Network, Human Rights Monitor, Community Life Project (CLP)/Reclaim Naija, Conscience for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution (CHRCR,) Nigerian Women Trust Fund, The Albino Foundation, Electoral Hub, etc.
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