Wale Ibrahim, Lokoja
As part of efforts to reduce the high numbers of voided votes in subsequent elections in the country, domestic observers in Kogi State have advised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), political parties and politicians to always educate the electorate early before elections on how to vote and make their votes count.
Executive Director of the Centre For Human Rights and Conflict Resolution (CHRCR), Comrade Idris Miliki Abdul, in an exclusive interview, tasked the political parties to engage early in voter education to reduce the high incidence void votes.
Comrade Abdul, who was reacting to the high numbers of voided votes during the just concluded general elections in the state, noted that the political parties and other stakeholders should not wait for the next four years before educating voters about the symbols and logos of different political parties and how to tomb print on the ballot papers.
“It is very wrong and disheartened to leave everything in the hands of the electoral umpire, the INEC to do voters education for over 90 political parties in the country.
“What is the function of Political Parties?. It is the duty of a political Party to recruit members and educate them. But to our dismay, political parties always sit back and think it is duty of INEC to everything for them”, he stressed.
The rights activist regretted how top government functionaries were leading political thugs and security agents to snatch ballot boxes during the just concluded House of Assembly elections in Ijumu Local Government Area of the state as early as possible.
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He decried the rate at which politicians have been disobeying the electoral laws and rules and regulations laid down by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), wondering why the politicians are so desperate to win at all cost.
Executive Director, Participation Initiative for Behavioural Change in Development PIBCD and the programme Manager, ActionAid Nigeria, Mrs. Gift Omoniwa, said it was observed that election materials did not arrived polling units earlier enough, noting that electorate have been in their polling units before arrival of election materials in some areas.
Omoniwa added that some voters were stranded at polling units before INEC officials arrived, calling on INEC to ensure early arrival of election materials in rural areas to enable electorate cast their votes on time.
The Executive Director of PIBCD who is a partner of Actionaid Nigeria in Kogi State, expressed concerns issue of insecurity during the elections , noted that though the elections were adjudged to be peaceful ,stressing that there were pockets of violence in Kogi East and part of Kogi West senatorial districts occasioned by snatching ballot boxes .
She, therefore, tasked security agencies to provide adequate security to the electorate, saying that women must be protected as they are susceptible to violence.
She, however, bemoaned the situation where security agents were used to protected the hoodlums who were paid to snatch election materials.
It would be recalled that many votes were voided because many people in the rural areas and uneducated people could not identify the party Logo and were just tomb printing anyhow which rendered the votes useless.
