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By Amos Odhe, Yenagoa
Polling Units Ambassadors of Nigeria, PUAN, a non-partisan organization, “saddled with the responsibility of providing electoral awareness at the polling units community,” has held an expanded National Executive Council, NEC, meeting, towards proffering solutions to issues of vote buying and other matters during the 2023 general election
The meeting, which had in attendance the ambassador general, secretary general, members of the National Executives Council, NEC, zonal deputy ambassador generals (DAG’s), zonal directors, state ambassadors (SA’s) and state directors, took place at the Nigeria National Merit Award, NNMA, House Maitama, Abuja on June 11, 2022,
In a statement made available to our correspondent, PUAN noted that “while ensuring that polls integrity is maintained in our electoral system, we sensitize the electorates who have Permanent Voters Card, PVC, to vote with a focus on responsive and accountable leadership at all levels of governance.”
Declaring the meeting open, PUAN’s ambassador general, Amb Capt Suleiman Dabas, and secretary general, Prince Osa Osaghae, said that, “there is the need for a continuous voters’ education to the electorates on the dangers of selling their votes.”
They noted that there is the need to get voters to “understand that selling their votes amount to trading off their rights of who governs or represents them.
“Voters registration should be recognized as a potent process of ensuring that citizens exercise their voting rights as backed by law and acceptability and electoral outcome.”
They frowned at the fact “that voters are fond of staying back during the CVR process of registration until it is few days to the close of the exercise, then they request for an extension of time.”
Participants at the meeting also noticed that, “the number of hours spent at the CVR centres are unbearable,” adding that “most Nigerians cannot afford to spend such long hours at the CVR centres to get registered for PVC while their business and livelihood suffer.”
The PUAN pointed out that during elections, “ballot boxes and the poll cubicles are deliberately position to sabotage the secrecy of the voter, that the actions are either championed or perpetrated by party agents or individuals who have authorities in such polling units community.
“Most times, the electoral officers are being harassed and intimidated by these individuals if their biddings are not well carried out.”
Dabas and Osaghae further noted that a “deliberate national review in the provisions of adequate security throughout election assignments have not been made, which should involve securing electoral officials, electoral materials and voting citizens.”
They also noted that “the high cost of expression of interest and nominate forms by political parties are deliberate actions to introduce corrupt practices into our democratic practice,” adding that “parties have technically disenfranchised Nigerian youths and women from the political circle with the introduction of some very strong party policies that are not favorable to the youths and women.”
Dabas and Osaghae alleged that Nigerian politicians and their political parties are heavily involved in vote buying technique, adding that if this is not checked now and given proper national attention, “in no distance time, this act will destroy our collective democratic struggle.
“As co-stakeholders with INEC in promoting better electoral reforms, our responsibility should include guaranteeing a level playing field for all actors,” they said
However, the NEC meeting resolved that, “there is an urgent need for a legislation to establish an electoral offences tribunal to see the immediate prosecution of electoral offenders, and party agents should be kept 20 metres away from the voting cubicles to avoid unnecessary interference in the voting process.
“Chief Security Officers, CSOs, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and other relevant electoral reforms organizations should collaborate to increase electoral awareness especially at the grassroots, on the dangers of vote buying/selling, since the act amount to trading their rights to choose who governs or represents them.
“Elections should reflect the free expression of the will of the people,” they said, adding that “security agencies should rise up to the occasion by making arrest and conducting thorough investigation that will aid diligent prosecution in order to secure convictions as the best way to deter criminally minded politicians from embarking on this crime.
“Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, most urgently deploy additional machines to some of the most congested areas to ease the surge in the ongoing CVR as Polling Units Ambassadors of Nigeria, PUAN, and other CSOs have launched intensive campaign to encourage registered voters to collect their PVCs and to increase voters turn out on election day,” they said.
They also advised that “INEC should extend the current CVR process to allow more persons to register and collect their PVCs.
“Nigerian politicians should desist from vote buying, voters intimidation, rigging, thuggery and ballot box snatching; and political parties must focus on issues based campaign and presentation of clear manifesto’s to win the votes of the electorates,” they said.
They commended INEC for its persistent and advocacy drive that pressurized the President into signing the electoral act into law and also gave it kudos for its interactive policies with relevant stakeholders and other designed programmes that have enhanced Nigeria’s processes.
