Re-run: CSOs wants action against violence, vote buying
The Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), YIAGA-AFRICA and Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), and Election Analysis Centre (EAC) have separately demanded strict actions against perpetrators of violence in Saturday’s supplementary elections in parts of the country.
The calls were made in separate statements signed by CISLAC Executive Director, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani; CDD Director, Idayat Hassan; TMG Chairperson, Dr. AbiolaAkiyode-Afolabi and Chair, Watching The Vote (WTV) Working Group of YIAGA AFRICA, Dr. Hussaini Abdu, and Executive Director, YIAGA AFRICA, Samson Itodo.
According to them, it was unacceptable that despite all the efforts by stakeholders to ensure the success of the elections and deepen democracy in the country, political parties and some politician openly engaged in widespread vote buying, violence and other electoral malpractices even in the presence of law enforcement agencies.
“TMG is particularly concerned about the inability of security agents to protect lives, materials and properties in places where these disruptions took place, as law enforcement agents, particularly the Nigerian Police were reported to have fled scenes of disruptions leaving voters and other citizens helpless and vulnerable,” AbiolaAkiyode said.
Dr. Abdu and Samson Itodo, on their part said, “Several electoral offences were observed and reported by WTV observers and other domestic and international observer groups.
“We urge INEC and Nigerian police to properly investigate cases of infractions and ensure diligent prosecution of electoral offenders. INEC and the police should extend the investigation to reports of complicity and collusion of its staff to compromise to the process.”
Also, Mallam Rafsanjani expressed surprise at what he called “double standard by both Kano REC and the State Returning Officer who had agreed and called for cancellation of the earlier result from Gama as thugs disrupted the collation process,” but were reluctant to cancel the latest results despite widespread violence across all the 62 polling units.
He said, “We therefore call on INEC to discountenance the supplementary elections and return to status quo prior to the 23rd March 2019. Anything short of this will be setting a very dangerous precedent where the use of force to capture electoral gain will become the rule rather than the exception.”