By Emmanuel Enebeli
WARRI/Nigeria: A Study carried out by coalition of Civil Societies in Delta State, had identified fear, and thuggery as the two main elements that will scare away eligible voters from casting their votes in the 2019 general elections.
According to the Delta civil Society Coalition on Elections, (DCCE), and Delta State Civil Society Organisations for Good Governance, (DECGOG), a survey carried out by the Organisations, on the perception on the effect of violence on the forthcoming general election which will start with the presidential election in less 12 hours from now.
The report which was presented by Pastor Edewor Ogedegbe, Executive Director, Value Rebirth and Empowerment Initiative, and chairman of DECGOG, and Mr. Voke Ighorodje, of the Rights Education and Development Centre for Social Change, (REED), and Convener of DCCE, on the eve of the 2019 President Election, in Warri, said the study was carried out with the distribution of 120 questionnaires on eligible voters with PVC.
The response according to the group was frightening, as a lump number of 78 percent of those surveyed said they will not participate based on lack of faith in the inability of the Independence National Electoral Commission, INEC and political parties to organize free, fair, credible election, which often is marred with violence and thuggery.
According to Pastor Ogedegbe, the outcome of the survey confirmed reports and stories of incessant politically motivated violence happening within the society, which are often traced to the youths who had refused to grow, as he said, “Its disheartening to note that the electorates particularly some of the youths whom have refused to come of age in spite of several years of neglect, have made themselves willing tools in the hands of greedy politicians, who use and dump them till another four years.”
The survey which was centred around Delta Central Senatorial District, further confirmed the various political violence which had characterized the area, with about 10 persons killed in Uvwie, political thuggery in Ughelli South, Udu, Okpe, Ethiope East and other parts of the state, with the past few weeks.
To stem the fear of the eligible voters, especially those with PVC, the study recommended among others, that INEC, the political parties, security agencies, CSO’s, Traditional institutions, religious bodies and other critical stakeholders in the electoral process to always denounce and condemn every act that suggest political violence irrespective of partnership.
That the Nigerian police and other security agencies should build confidence of the citizenry in its impartiality rooted in absolute professionalism in line with the act establishing them as institutions and agencies of government.
That the political parties, their candidates and agents to play by the rules and every opportunity for transparency and fair play should not be wasted in order to create confidence and reduce the incidences of voter aparthy and violence.
That the electorates have the responsibility of ensuring peaceful conducts, before, during and after elections and also eschew damaging and incendiary rumours, fake news peddling capable of igniting crises.
