By Chibuzo Ihegboro
Election observers accredited by the Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission for today’s local government elections, yesterday expressed commitment in collaboration with security agencies, to check proliferation of small arms and light weapons before, during and after the exercise.
The Coordinator of the group, Chris Azor, while addressing journalists at a stakeholders’ engagement in Awka, on Friday, said that his team would collaborate with security agencies and other patriotic citizens to ensure that the election was credible, violence-free and peaceful.
Azor listed the strategies as pre-election environment monitoring, paying attention to potential hotspots and areas prone to violence, voter education and awareness on the dangers of small arms proliferation and the importance of peaceful elections, through community outreach programmes and public awareness campaigns.
This, according to the group, would be implemented in collaboration with security agencies, to ensure that voting centres are secure and free from arms, incident reporting and documentation.
He said that there would be intentional and deliberate post-election monitoring of the environment to prevent potential violence and ensure a peaceful transition, through observation of voting centers and hotspots.
“The mechanisms have become imperative considering the present worrisome security challenges in the state and indeed the South-East region.
“Proliferation of small arms has contributed to electoral violence, banditry, terrorism, and kidnapping and sundry criminality.
We would mobilise over 100 observers across the state, and set up a Situation Room Coordination Centre in Awka, the capital city for real time collaboration and timely reportage of activities during the exercise, for the desired result.”
He urged political parties and candidates to commit to promotion of peaceful conduct, stakeholder engagement and non violence.
The group also called on security agencies to maintain neutrality, fairness and impartiality while preserving human rights and rule of law, enjoining accredited election observers to conform to the code of conduct and eschew all forms of interference with the electoral process.
Eligible voters should exercise their franchise peacefully without any let or hindrance. We hereby, urge political parties and candidates to commit to promotion of peaceful conduct, stakeholder engagement and non-violence.
“Security agencies should maintain neutrality, fairness and impartiality while preserving human rights and rule of law,” it added
The group commended the election management body, ANSIEC, for demonstrating full preparedness and commitment to integrity of the entire exercise.