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Tag: Observers

  • Kwara elections met accepted standards, say observers

    Accredited Election Observers have adjudged that the February 23 and March 3 elections in Kwara State met the accepted standards in line with the Electoral Act.

    They, therefore, urged the candidates and political parties to accept the results as true reflection of the wishes and decisions of the electorate.

    The observers added that the elections took place under a conducive and peaceful atmosphere across the entire state.

    State team leader Richard Adebayo and Secretary Olaniyan Matthew hailed the “Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) for considering it necessary to conduct the 16 local government election in the state and providing a level playing ground for all political parties”.

    Read also: Int’l Observers to Buhari: assent to amended Electoral Act

    They recommended that “the government and electoral management body should engage committee of civil society groups on intensive civic voter’s education, sensitisation and mobilisation ahead of every election”.

  • Observers score polls high

    •Parties ‘should honour peace pact’   •Security agencies get kudos 

    •No underage voters, says ex-Tanzania president

    •EU Mission lauds Nigerians, civil society organisations

    •U.S. cautions against unauthorised announcement of results

    International observers yesterday awarded the conduct of last Saturday’s elections a pass mark.

    To the Commonwealth Observer Group, a major gain of the Presidential and National Assembly elections is the fact that Nigerians had the opportunity to express their will and exercise their franchise.

    The group noted that in spite of the fact that the elections were “highly-contested”, the fundamental freedoms of expression, assembly, association and movement were respected.

    The observers said the elections showed that “people of Nigeria have demonstrated patience and commitment to their democracy”.

    They praised the police and security agencies for securing the polling units nationwide.

    But the group asked the Federal Government to hold those who perpetrated violence accountable.

    They, however, pleaded with all political parties to honour the National Peace Accord and avoid violence.

    The group made its verdict known in an interim statement by its Chairperson, Dr. Jakaya Kikwete, who is a former President of the United Republic of Tanzania.

    Mr. Kikwete said: “No report of underage voters from observers. The disabled voted and were given preference. Voting was transparent and open at polling unit level

    “But at the collation stage, we did not participate yet. So,  it’s the totality of all levels that will determine the overall status. We reserve that until the process is ended.”

    Although the Commonwealth observers acknowledged that there were organisational, logistical and technical difficulties in the elections, they said the challenges should be part of the nation’s electoral reform.

    The interim statement said:  ”This was a highly contested election. There was a significant increase in the number of political parties and presidential candidates although in practice the campaign was dominated by the two major parties.

    “Whilst the environment was tense and divisive, overall, fundamental freedoms of association, expression, assembly and movement were generally respected.

    “Notwithstanding the difficulties and challenges surrounding these elections, for the most part, Nigerians had the opportunity to express their will and exercise their franchise.

    “We trust that the final stages of collation and announcement of results will be handled in a transparent and credible manner.

    “The people of Nigeria have demonstrated patience and commitment to their democracy. We appeal to them to maintain the same commitment in the post-election period, and as Nigeria prepares to return to the polls on 9 March, 2019, for the Governorship, State Assembly and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) area council elections.”

    On violence during the elections, the observers urged the Federal Government to hold the perpetrators accountable.

    They advised political parties against taking the laws into their hands in any form and praised the police and security agencies for securing polling units.

    The statement added: “Election related violence and loss of life, which occurred in a number of places, is deeply troubling. Nigeria can do better.

    “Violence has no place in a modern democracy. Those responsible should be held accountable.

    “We acknowledge the important role played by police, together with other security agencies, in securing polling units.”

    The observers pleaded with political parties to shun post-voting violence under whatever guise.

    “The political environment is highly charged and there are security concerns in some parts of the country. Several cases of election related violence have been reported.

    “We welcome the signing of the National Peace Accord by political parties shortly before the elections, which was witnessed by the Commonwealth Secretary-General.

    “We encourage all political parties to honour their commitments in the National Peace Accord and reject violence,” the statement said.

    Regarding the conduct of the elections, the observers identified six challenges which Nigeria should address in its electoral reform.

    The statement said: “Electoral reform is a continuous process building on what has worked successfully and addressing weaknesses. However, there have been considerable organisational, logistical and technical difficulties in these elections, which we know INEC and all stakeholders will wish to address.”

    The six challenges are as follows:

    • Notwithstanding further assurances provided by INEC, there were delays in the distribution of materials, resulting in late opening of polling units. Although INEC subsequently authorised extended voting hours for those polling units that had opened late, this information was not communicated effectively and not followed by all polling staff.
    • We noted that polling officials, security staff and other essential workers were unable to vote and were therefore disenfranchised. In addition, we were told that 11.2 million Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) were not collected; consequently, over 13 percent of all registered voters could not vote.
    • We observed problems with the Smart Card Readers (SCRs) in a number of polling units. This caused further delays as polling officials awaited technical assistance or replacements.
    • The Group was impressed by the hard work and dedication of polling staff. Observers noted, however, that many would have benefited from more comprehensive training in polling procedures. For example, in some places, the layout of polling units, including the positioning of voting booths, potentially compromised the secrecy of the ballot. Incorrect labeling and failure to seal the ballot boxes correctly were also noted. Lack of signage within polling units caused some confusion.
    • We witnessed crowding within a number of polling units with large numbers of party agents, many of whom were not wearing INEC accreditation badges. Some party agents attempted to intimidate polling staff and voters, including during counting.
    • During sorting and counting, the determination of invalid votes was often vigorously contested by party agents and members of the public, partly due to a lack of understanding as to what constituted an invalid vote.

  • INEC to observers: you’re to observe not monitor

    •Commission presents election translation App

    INDEPENDENT National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu has told 196 observers accredited for the general elections that they are to observers and not monitor the polls.

    He spoke while briefing the accredited domestic and foreign observers on the preparation by the commission ahead of this Saturday presidential and National Assembly polls.

    He also assured them of their security, saying that necessary security arrangements had been put in place in the states they intend to deploy their people to within the country.

    Inspector General of Police Mr. Mohammed Adamu, who also briefed the observers on the security arrangement, assured them of the readiness of the security agencies for the polls.

    Adamu noted that “no movement restriction” would be observed within INEC stipulated time.

    He also assured Nigerians and the international community that the police would be professional and neutral in the conduct of free, fair and credible elections.

    Besides, Adamu said the police to be deployed would not be carrying arms.

    He, however, said a detachment of armed police would be stationed some distance from the polling units to provide security.

    Read also: 14 feared dead at Port Harcourt rally

    The Acting IG also noted that police personnel on election duty are expected to wear INEC vests for easy identification.

    He noted that the police would be looking out for vote buyers/sellers and also touts to prevent the disruption of the elections.

    Adamu also urged voters, who might want to wait to protect their votes to maintain the distance stipulated by INEC.

    The police boss also warned that security personnel, who are not deployed for election should stay away from the polling units, saying any security personnel found wanting will be arrested.

    Likewise, he said observers not accredited will be arrested after clearance from INEC.

    An App for the election translation was also launched as part of the arrangement to ensure smooth observation of the polls.

  • “PDP cajoling foreign nations, observers”

    Northern Discussion Group, (NDG) has accused the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) of institutionalising election rigging, asking them not to cajole foreign nations and international organisations to intervene in the forthcoming coming general elections. The convener of the group, Prof.  Abdullahi Ashafa, at a press conference in Kaduna yesterday, maintained that  there is no issue at hand that is beyond national solutions.

    The convener who said the PDP could not organize free, fair and credible elections for good 16 years, and called on the party to apologize to Nigerians for misgoverning them. According to him, “the 2007 Nigerian Presidential elections was the worst ever in the world as only 13 states results were announced and Obasanjo instructed the INEC chairman, Maurice Iwu to announce the PDP as the winner.”

    Ahsafa, however, urged Nigerians to give President Muhammadu Buhari another mandate to consolidate on his existing achievements of the past four years. While saying that the PDP should not be trusted with power again, he reminded citizens of voting age and those whom have acquired their Permanent Voters Card (PVC) that the forthcoming general election is their destiny.

    “It is a refrendum between the enablers and icons of honesty, accountability,  transparency and inteterity  versus kleptocrats  and those who sees nothing is morally wrong in thievery,” says Ashafa.

     

     

  • INEC warns journalists, observers against publishing false results

    TWO weeks to the general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has warned media practitioners and accredited electoral observers against disseminating elections results not endorsed by the electoral empire.

    The National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC) of the commission, Mr. Festus Okoye, gave the warning yesterday in Awka at the zonal sensitization forum for the media on the elections.

    Read also: INEC List: Don’t rejoice yet, Adebutu tells Kashamu

    He explained that announcing results were legally reserved for the returning officer. He further warned that anyone caught going into the polling cubicle with a camera phone, which he said aides vote trading, would be arrested.

    The Commissioner underscored the place of proper study of both the Nigerian constitution as amended and Electoral Acts by the media practitioners. He added that its application in their reportage would go a long way to ensuring proper and balanced information to the society who solely relies on the media for information.

  • Parties, observers, others take stock of Osun poll

    A coalition of civil society organisations (CSOs), the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, political parties and others yesterday took stock of Saturday’s inconclusive governorship election in Osun State.

    The CSOs expressed worry over the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) delay in collating the Osun governorship election result.

    The Convener of the Situation Room, Mr Clement Nwankwo, in a statement yesterday, said there was need for INEC to change the trend on collation of results and use of electronic method.

    Nwankwo also expressed concern that the result collation took place mostly at night.

    “On collation of results, Situation Room is concerned that the process of collation is delayed and appears to happen mostly at night.

    “This is when the political parties, candidates, observers and other election stakeholders may have depleted away from observation of the process, especially with fears of insecurity.

    “This trend needs to change and INEC should consider an improvement and innovation in its processes that will enable the collation of results in as much of daylight as possible and thus reduce night time election activities.”

    Nwankwo called on the INEC to open up its e-collation method to independent observers and other stakeholders in the electoral process to eliminate the present suspicion that now clouds the use of the said e-collation system.

    He said this would create an understanding of this aspect of the election process and win support for its use.

    “To further increase the credibility of election results, INEC will need to return to its previous practice of immediate publication of polling unit election results .

    “As well as publishing all of the comprehensive details of collated results, including the Form EC60E, on its website and to be accessible to all.

    “Situation Room also calls on INEC to ensure that its announcement of the introduction of Braille for voting is made operational across the country and that all persons with disabilities are able to vote during elections,” he said

    Nwankwo said the Situation Room deployed observers across the 30 local government areas of the state to monitor the election .

    He said incidents of vote buying reoccurred in the Osun State elections, even though at a reduced and less brazen manner.

    He called on INEC to intensify the training of the different cadres of its staff to enhance their understanding of election duties and increase their confidence and ability to respond to election day challenges.

    He, however, hailed INEC on early commencement of the voting process, adding that polling units across the state opened early for accreditation and voting.

    He commended the people of Osun, the political parties and the security agencies on their good conduct.

    Nwankwo said the announcement by the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) and law enforcement officials that they would arrest vote-buyer suspects and charge them to court helped significantly in reducing the malpractice.

    He said: “As with recent INEC conducted governorship elections, incidents of vote buying reoccurred during the Osun State governorship election, even if at a reduced and less-brazen manner.

    “Incidents now seem subtler with the announcement by INEC and law enforcement officials that suspects would be arrested and charged to court, and the actual deployment of security personnel to enforce this helped significantly.”

    The coordinator commended Osun residents and political parties for conducting themselves peacefully during the poll.

    He, however, called on INEC to intensify training of its different cadre of staff to enhance their understanding of their election duties and increase their confidence and ability to respond to election challenges.

    Nwankwo said it was observed during the election that some INEC staff and officials were not sure of their responses to voters’ concerns or voting procedures, which he said created delay.

    He also called on the electoral body to look into the process of results collation, which he said was usually done at night when political parties, candidates, observers and other election stakeholders “may have been depleted”.

    The NCS recommended that INEC should ensure that its announcement of the introduction of Braille for voting was made operational across the country and that all people living with disabilities were able to vote during elections.

     

    Group lauds INEC, police over peaceful conduct of election

    A SOCIO-POLITICAL group, Southern Nigeria Peoples Mandate (SNPM), has lauded the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the police over peaceful conduct of Osun governorship election.

    Its President, Mr Augustine Chukwudum, gave the commendation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu yesterday.

    Chukwudum also applauded INEC for the prompt arrival of voting materials and early commencement of voting in most polling booths in the state.

    He said: “The SNPM is calling on the nation’s electoral body, INEC, to extend this recorded peaceful conduct of Osun governorship poll to the much-anticipated 2019 general elections.

    “We are also calling on INEC to look into the issue of malfunctioning Card Readers.’

    Chukwudum praised the Nigerian Police, for arresting some vote buyers and sellers during the election, adding that it should serve as deterrent to other Nigerians engaging in the ‘shameful act’.

    He added: “The SNPM commends the Nigeria Police for the professional conduct of its personnel which led to the arrest of some vote buyers and sellers.

    “It wants all Nigerians to completely frown at vote buying and selling, as well as expose those in the shameful habit.”

    Last Saturday’s governorship election in Osun State took place amidst a peaceful atmosphere, compared to other previous governorship elections held in recent times.

     

     APC hails INEC’s decision

    THE Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has said that the state has been saved from the savage jaws of evil with the declaration.

    In a statement by its spokesperson, Kunle Oyatomi, the APC said: “It was providential. Osun has been miraculously saved from the savage jaws of the evil that could have been fallen into if the monster called the PDP had won the election. It was the limit that corrupt money could go to buy up an election.

    “Now that Osun has been given a second chance to escape from the calamity it almost fell into, the people of Osogbo, Orolu, Ife South and Ife North now have the enormous task to save the state from predator-politicians.

    “On Thursday September 27, that is the mission that they have. We therefore call on all citizens in these polling areas to sacrifice everything they can on that day to become the great heroes and heroines  of our beloved state.

    “We use this opportunity to thank all those who summoned courage in spite of  the ‘blood’ money on offer by the PDP to vote against their conscience, stood their ground and voted for the APC. The unfinished job will be concluded on Thursday by the Grace of God.”

     

    All quiet in Iragbiji over election

    IRAGBIJI and its environs were quiet yesterday, after last Sunday’s governorship election was declared inconclusive by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    Iragbiji is the home town of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the election, Gboyega Oyetola. The ordinarily sleepy  town was alive at the weekend with the expectation of victory for Oyetola.

    When our reporter went round the town,  residents gathered in groups in a few places, discussing the outcome of the election, but traders were already out with their wares to return to their normal life.

    The front of the palace of the Aragbiji was empty, unlike Saturday when voters and other indigenes besieged the town centre to chat with friends and recall fond memories.

    Taxi drivers and commercial motorcyclists also returned to business after an early noon rainfall.

    A resident who spoke to The Nation in confidence, expressed disappointment with the election, saying it would be difficult to predict the outcome of Thursday’s supplementary poll.

     

    No one should be underestimated, says Oyo APC

    THE Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday declared that the conduct of last Saturday governorship election in Osun State should serve as a lesson that no one should be underestimated in any contest.

    The party said judging by all the negativity that trailed the APC  leading challenger in the Osun governorship poll, anyone would have written him off in the contest.

    Reacting to last Saturday’s election in Osun State, which was declared inconclusive by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) , the APC Director of Media, Research and Strategies and Publicity Secretary,  Dr AbdulAzeez Olatunde, said the experience garnered in the Osun election would be deployed to good use in Oyo State, starting from the  primary election.

    Olatunde said: “Also, the keenness or the  competitiveness of the Osun election is a reminder to the people that have the mandate of the electorates that there is a judgement day in waiting when the mandate would  either be renewed with good performances or repositioned to another party or person.

    “In relation to Oyo State, it shows that no one can be taken for granted or underestimated, considering all the negativity that trails APC leading challenger to the election, most would have written him off. That is another lesson that voting patterns and trends are most times unpredictable.

    “As for Oyo 2019, we have learned a lot of lessons which we hope to deploy to good use starting from our primaries.

    “Also, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)  in Oyo State, Mr Seyi Makinde, has described as unacceptable the reason given by INEC for declaring the Osun governorship election inconclusive.

    Makinde said the PDP candidate, Senator Ademola Adeleke, won the highest number of votes and scored 25 per cent in more than two thirds of the 30 local government areas in the state and as such ought to have been declared the winner of the election.

    Makinde said Senator Adeleke won the election fair and square.

    He said INEC must have buckled under pressure from desperate politicians whose cupboards are filled with filth.

    The PDP governorship aspirant said that the decision by the election umpire is a disservice to democracy and will not stand the test of time.

    He said such miscarriage of justice, no matter how short, will not be allowed to happen in Oyo State.

    Makinde, on behalf of members of PDP in Oyo State, applauded the good people of Osun State for the role they played against anti-democratic forces who did everything humanly possible to reverse the wheel of progress.

    He said it is disheartening to note that since the advent of the APC at the federal level, all elections conducted by INEC have been riddled with controversies and failed to meet basic international standard.

    Agoro hails Ooni for not voting

    Olapade Agoro, the presidential candidate of the National Action Council (NAC) in next year’s election yesterday hailed the decision of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, not to cast his vote in the last Saturday’s governorship election in Osun State.

    There were media reports that Oba Ogunwusi did not vote despite the fact there is a polling unit by the palace, because he saw all the governorship candidates as his subjects.

    Speaking with reporters in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, yesterday, Agoro commended the revered traditional ruler, describing his action as “very laudable and respectable”.

    The NAC presidential candidate maintained that what the Ooni Ogunwusi did was honouring the throne of Oduduwa and the whole of Yoruba race.

    He said: “The Ooni ‘risa, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi has placed himself on the side of honour. The position of the Ooni of Ife is above all political positions. The Ooni should be a rallying point for all sons and daughters of Oodu, irrespective of political inclinations.

    “The Ooni has been doing well since he ascended the exalted throne. He has been promoting the rich culture of the Yoruba race above political considerations. So far, so good, he has been doing a good job on the throne.”

  • Group trains observers to monitor pre-election environment

    Ahead of Osun governorship election, a civil society organisation, YIAGA AFRICA, has trained 31 long term observers to monitor the pre-election environment in the state.

    In a statement by its Executive Director, Samson Itodo, the group said the pre-election observation will help Yiaga Africa detect early warning signals which may affect the credibility of the process.

    According to the statement, the Osun State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Olusegun Agbaje, witnessed the training for long term observers in the state.

    During the training in Osogbo, Agbaje expressed appreciation to Yiaga Africa for her collaborative role with the commission over the years as part of efforts towards building a true and lasting democracy in Nigeria.

    Meanwhile, YIAGA AFRICA has said timely receipt of the non sensitive materials by INEC would enhance its performance.

     

  • Rights group, observers insist Fayemi won Ekiti election

    Observers under the aegis of the Nigerian Human Rights Community, (NHRC) have insisted that the All Progressives Congress, (APC) gubernatorial candidate, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, won the Ekiti State gubernatorial election free and fair. At a press conference in Lagos over the weekend, the observers led by Taiwo Adeleye, where the group presented preliminary reports, it said the election was associated with hitches but not enough to invalidate the victory of APC at the poll.

    The NHRC regrets that the status of human rights work is being distorted by the Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose who it accused of raising a coterie of false and emergency human right groups and observers with preconceived aim of supporting Dr Olusola Eleka, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate. The group said there were obvious cases of political parties’ involvement on corruption but that it is mischievous to blame the outcome of the election on that note.

    It said that in Ekiti State, the ring leader of electoral manipulation is Mr. Ayodele Fayose. “Since 2014, Mr Fayose has been distributing cash-public funds-to individuals on the streets amongst who are voters. It has become a day-to-day function of the Ekiti state Governor and its officials to distribute cash to people on the streets. There is nothing behind this than a conscious attempt to buy votes. Most of these cases were reported in the mainstream and social media where Mr. Fayose was openly distributing cash to people on the streets.”

    The group added “In Ekiti, workers were paid N3,000 on the eve of the election as bribe so that they could vote for Dr Eleka. This is a well-known fact. He also paid N7,000 each to pensioner on the eve of the July 14 election. The cash paid was not listed as part of their legal entitlements but as inducements to ensure they voted for the PDP. There can be no clearer evidence of election malpractices that this. Under the Ekiti State governor, manipulation of elections through cash inducement is a directive principle of the state which has been entrenched in the state’s convention through the framework of stomach infrastructure.”

    The group said the turn out during the election was impressive. “Ekiti has 842,731 registered voters. This number shortly before the election increased to about 900,000. This is quite commendable considering the total population of the entire state which is 2.7million people. Out of the figures, 667,064 PVCs were collected while 246,270 PCVs were not collected. There are 177 wards in 131 towns and villages located in 16 local governments.

  • Ondo APC primary, not totally flawless, say observers

    A group of accredited observers  for the last Saturday governorship primary election of the All Progressives Congress(APC) in Ondo state yesterday said the exercise was not totally perfect.

    At a briefing in Akure, the state capital, members of the six-man observer group led by Prince Richards Adebayo urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to be more involved in party’s primaries to give it credibility.

    Other members of the group are Moses Ebanor,SunnyElekwa,IbrahimBauchi,LadanZubaru and S.B Babafunsho.

    Adebayo said: “We are not condemning the primary election outrightly, the voting pattern inside the Dome(venue) was transparent, but some of the contestants agents, observed and protested that clusters of delegates were allowed to cast their votes in contravention of the regulations of the primary election.

    “During the voting exercise, the poll officials detected that the accreditation of delegates was hastily done without proper screening and many delegates were given unstamped tags.

    “Some of the delegates that came to the voting centre were not accredited by the three major accreditation centres because they were not duly screened in contravention of the rules of the electoral rules and regulations of the electoral committee.

    “The Chairman of the Electoral Committee and Jigawa State governor, MohammedAbubakar informed the electoral session that he has organised few buses to  bring the remaining delegates that were delayed due to the topology of the area and to enable them cast their votes on time for the conclusion of the exercise.

    “We observed that few of the contestants’ agents condemned such arrangement of vehicles to convey delegates to voting centre because it was outside agreed arrangement”

    However, the observers noted that such delegates were brought and allowed to cast their votes without proper screening before the committee rounded off the voting exercise.

    The group advised political parties to always allow delegates to exercise their civic rights in compliance with electoral laws.

    It called for necessary attention to any protest or allegations arising from the APC governorship primary election in order to prevent political party disintegration.

    Besides, the group cautioned the political class to discourage electoral violence.

    The observers called for internal reconciliation of post-primary election among the stakeholders by the APC leadership to facilitate political cohesion among party members.

  • Kogi: Our fears, by Situation Room

    Kogi: Our fears, by Situation Room

    The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, a coalition of 70 civil society groups monitoring governorship election in Kogi State, Friday expressed concerns over the welfare of security personnel deployed for the election.

    It said it observed that some of the policemen deployed from various states were kept waiting for hours before re-deployment, with some of them loitering aimlessly.

    Besides, it also feared that the huge security deployment could become a state-motivated instrument for voter intimidation in saturday’s election.

    It said nothing short of a free and fair election will be accepted to Nigerians.

    “The electoral environment is charged no doubt, and there have been various allegations across the aisle on plans to rig the election.

    “Situation Room takes note of these developments and calls on all stakeholders, especially political parties to approach this election with responsibility and utmost respect of democratic standards.  We cannot afford to fail Nigerians,” the coalition said.

    In its preliminary statement on the election Friday, the group said it was hopeful that security operatives would conduct themselves responsibly and adhere to civil and responsible terms of engagement under the rule of law.

    Chairman, Partners for Electoral Reform, Ezenwa Nwagwu, who addressed the press on the coalition’s behalf, urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deliver a first-class election.

    He said: “Preliminary observations by the Situation Room indicate that voters across the state are highly motivated and mobilised to cast their votes. There are also security concerns during the elections.

    “We are reasonably satisfied with the deployment and conduct so far of the security personnel to the state to ensure a safe, secure and peaceful election tomorrow.

    “The Situation Room, however, hopes that, drawing from its experiences in previous elections that this deployment would not lead to state inspired voter and process intimidation and suppression.

    “However, the Situation Room is hopeful that the entire security machinery will conduct themselves responsibly and adhere to civil and responsible terms of engagement under the rule of law.”

    The Situation Room expressed concerns about the arrangements made for the welfare of the tens of thousands of armed security personnel drawn from other parts of the country.

    It also wants those with special needs, such as nursing mothers, the elderly, those with physical challenges and pregnant women to be given a special attention during voting.

    “We have noted so far, that like in previous elections, there seems to be scant regard for the overall wellbeing and welfare of these officers of the state.

    “The Situation Room nonetheless urges the state government to assure the electorate of their personal safety and urges voters to go out and peacefully cast their vote.

    “We call on INEC in its role as the Election Management Body to fully acknowledge and make special arrangements for people with disabilities, the elderly and nursing mothers to help them exercise their franchise. This can be effected by giving specific instructions to INEC officials at the voting units,” it said.

    It also warned against people spreading false rumors through the social media that could create unnecessary tension.

    “The Situation Room especially urges the digital public to be discerning in their reading of social media reports as experiences have shown that some of the reports may be replete with deliberate falsehood aimed at misleading the public.

    “We call on all stakeholders in the election process to live up to the expectation of Nigerians and especially call on INEC to deliver free, fair and credible elections in Kogi State.”