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By Godwin Chukwumaechi, Port Harcourt
Members of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Rivers State council, have urged stakeholders to commit themselves to a peaceful election in the state come February 25 and March 11, 2023.
The need for a change from the violent narrative that has characterized elections in Rivers State through the years cannot be over-emphasized, the correspondents say, as they urged stakeholders in the electoral process, comprising political parties, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies, civil society organisations, politicians and journalists, to do their part to ensure that the 2023 elections in the state are peaceful.
Presenting the position of the journalists at the opening ceremonies of the 2023 Correspondents’ Chapel Week held on Monday, chairman of the Correspondents’ Chapel in Rivers State, Amaechi Okonkwo, said that the state cannot afford the social and economic disruptions associated with election violence.
He said the theme of the week: ‘Media Vigilance Ahead of Peaceful 2023 Election in Rivers State,’ was inspired by the need for peace in the state throughout the election season and beyond.
Okonkwo said; “This is the reason we insisted on joining, not just to reinforce the discussion, but also the demand for peaceful general elections in Rivers State this time around.
“So we expect today that major stakeholders, like the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, political parties and their governorship candidates, who have been invited to this programme, to encourage and agree with ourselves on steps to take, as well as make commitment to be peaceful throughout the remaining pre-election period, during the elections proper and the post-election period.
“Starting with INEC, through to all the political parties and even the security agencies, we will discuss some of the new introduction to the electoral process and requirements for peaceful elections and as it relates to individual groups and make commitment to respect and ensure we play our parts”.
He stressed the need for, “INEC, as the umpire, committing to impartiality in its conduct of the elections; the media and journalists, committing to responsible and non-partisan reporting of the processes; the civil society organisations committing to non-partisan and impartial monitoring, assessment and reporting; the security agencies committing to providing level playing field of security to all and the political parties and their candidates committing to peaceful campaign and conduct by them and their supporters during the rest of the campaign period and the elections proper.
“The rest of us non-politicians, who are the higher percentage of the population than the politicians, need to stage a claim to our lives, professions, businesses and so on and stop allowing politicians to disrupt our lives as they struggle to stake their own claims on their interests which is to win elections and rule us”.
In his speech, guest of Honour at the event and Commissioner for Information and Communications, Rivers State Chris Finebone expressed fears over what he called the over-reliance by INEC on the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, which INEC is to deploy for the conduct of the elections.
He hinged his fears on the capacity of the available communication backbone in the country that INEC is relying upon to support the operation of the BVAS, adding that the said communication backbone “is still suspect.”
The commissioner said; “You have control, you have all the assurances from Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, and the rest of them, but personally if you consider how they fail us by system breakdown here and there, I’m afraid when it will be high moon for this election. I just pray that the communications people will provide you with the robust backbone to deliver”.
On its part, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, said that it was collaborating with the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC and the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC to rid the menace of vote buying from the nation’s electoral system.
INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Rivers State, Johnson Alalibo Sinikiem, who made the disclosure described vote-buying as a cankerworm that has eaten deep into the country’s system. He said the electoral body has also sensitized youths in various villages in the country to monitor and report anyone involved in the act during the elections.
Sinikiem, who was represented by the head, Voter Education and Publicity, Mark Usulo, said that going by the new Electoral Act, anyone found with a permanent voter’s card (PVC) that does not belong to him or her, risks a jail term.
He said the security agencies, especially the Nigerian Police and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) had been briefed to watch for persons in possession of PVCs that are not theirs.
He added that the commission was training youths and sensitizing them on vote buying, adding that the youths had agreed to cooperate with INEC to form voter education clubs in the communities and to fish out those that would come to effect vote buying. The REC, who called on the media to ensure accurate reportage of INEC activities before, during and after the general elections, said the electoral body will ensure free, fair, credible and violence-free elections.
