3rd March, 2015
Jethro Ibileke/Benin
A network of organizations for peaceful elections in Edo state has been formed in the three senatorial districts that make up the state. The networks include Edo South For Good Governance, Edo Central for Good Governance and Edo North Peace Movement for Good Governance.
The groups will partner among themselves to continuously educate and sensitize voters and also mobilize the electorate towards the attainment of good governance via elections that are free, fair, credible and peaceful.
The networks were outcomes of Voters Education and sensitisation programmes comprising of training workshops in Benin City and town hall meetings organised in the three senatorial districts of Edo state recently by a Port Harcourt-based Centre For Environment, Human Rights And Development, CEHRD, a non-governmental organisation, NGO.
Tagged ‘Towards a Peaceful and Credible 2015 Elections’, the Voters Education Program which was supported financially by European Union, EU and United Nations Development Program, UNDP, was aimed at sensitising the people of Edo state on issues relating to 2015 elections as well as educating them on their roles towards achieving a peaceful elections in 2015, said Onyekachi Okoro and Michael Chidozie, CEHRD’s Program Officers who facilitated the voters education project.
They explained that the project has two key activities, – voters’ education training at state level aimed at equipping participants with capacities to promote peaceful elections (two batches of a total of 120 participants), and town hall meetings in the three senatorial districts which provided an avenue for participats to share their experiences on past elections in Nigeria, reflect on the forth coming 2015 elections and chart a course for peaceful and credible 2015.
An INEC representative who made presentations on voter’s education, election day procedures and processes as well as the role citizens should play towards credible and peaceful elections, noted that, measures have been put in place to ensure credible elections. He said, if every stake holder, including the politicians and electorates, play their own roles towards the election responsibly, the elections would be credible.
He urged the participants, especially the youths, to shun political thuggery, and disclosed that it is only permanent voters cards (PVCs) that will be used to vote.
On his own part, a representative of The National Orientation Agency, Mr Austin Odile sought to change the negative orientation of the participants towards the coming elections, to that of a positive one.
In his paper captioned “Ethical Dimensions Of The Electoral Process”, he noted that the attitudes and characters of many Nigerians have continued to manifest in form of negative mindsets, including apathy towards the 2015 elections.
He said Nigerians should be patriotic and optimistic, urging them to partner with INEC to make the elections successful. He urged Nigerians to be obedient to laws, disciplined and responsible.
Participants commended CEHRD, UNDP and EU for the enlightenment project, stating that the programmes were very educative and informative, having helped in reshaping their attitudes and perceptions towards the 2015 elections.