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Ahead of this weekend’s election, the Network for Best Practice and Integrity in Leadership (NEBPRIL), has called on political actors and stakeholders in the state to desist from inflammatory comments, violence and other tendencies that could potentially mar the polls.
NEBPRIL made this call in Abuja yesterday, in a statement signed by its chairman, Victor Afam Ogene, a former member, House of Representatives.
He said it was frightening and worrisome, how stakeholders in the project have allowed rancour, bitterness and violence to define the path to the poll.
He warned that, “Violence prone persons, no matter how highly placed, should not be treated with kid gloves. Rather, the full weight of the law should be brought to bear on anyone or group, irrespective of status, that continues to engage in hate speech, vandalism and violence.
“The success of the September 19 Edo governorship elections should not be seen to be the duty and responsibility of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies and the candidates only. It behoves all stakeholders, including eligible voters and non-voters, to see to the success of that election.”
The CSO group that advocates best practice and good ethics, said it was “concerned that the language of political campaigns in the state instead of embodying the principles of restraint, decency and accommodation, has rather lighted a match on the incendiary vices of incivility, discourtesy and the unrestrained propensity to unleash violence and inflict harm on opponents.”
Predictably, he said, the traditional pattern of leaning towards electoral violence to advance or consolidate positions of strength, has already led to some clashes among contending political parties.
NEBPRIL noted that a pre-election survey conducted by election monitoring group, Yiaga Africa and Polling Analysis Databank Strategy (NOIPolls) showed that “voters and election officers are concerned that electoral violence and intimidation – which are already being witnessed in the run-up to the elections – would not only mar the credibility of the polls, but may also lead to loss of lives and property if not immediately curtailed. “
