The International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA Nigeria), has called the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to massively deploy their personnel to the polls like the Nigerian Police, saying this will checkmate violence and all forms of vote-buying that may impede the credibility of the Osun state governorship election.
It’s Country Vice /National President FIDA Nigeria Amina Suzanah Agbaje (Mrs), made the call in a signed statement on the the elections slated for this Saturday, calling on women, persons with disabilities and the good people of Osun State to exercise their franchise at the polls peacefully and resist any form of vote inducement and to shun all forms of electoral violence.
The statement enjoined Political parties to conduct themselves creditably in order to promote a peaceful process, while lauding the deployment of 21,000 police personnel by the Nigeria Police implying the presence of a minimum of four police officers in every polling unit.
According to her, there is an upsurge in the total number of registered voters in the state with an increase from 1.6 million at the last gubernatorial elections in 2018 to about 1.95 million presently.
“This indicates that more citizens are engaging in the political process and have taken advantage of the continuous voter’s registration towards ensuring that their votes count at the polls.
“Citizens of Osun State will exercise their franchise at 3,763 polling units within 332 registration area centers across the state towards electing a Governor at the off-cycle gubernatorial elections,” the statement noted.
“We expect strategic deployment of security personnel across the 3,763 polling units of the state towards forestalling any form of violence at the polls which will limit the participation of women, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups.
“We applaud the deployment of 21,000 police personnel by the Nigeria Police which will ensure that a minimum of four police personnel are stationed in every polling unit in line with global best practices.
“We call on other sister agencies like the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to massively deploy her personnel at the polls to checkmate violence and all forms of vote-buying that may impede the credibility of the poll.
“We hope to find security personnel at the polling units identified by their name tags and demonstrate non-partisanship in the discharge of their responsibilities,” it added.
The Country Vice/National President further regretted that at the forthcoming elections, electorates will be given the options to choose from the 15 political parties fielding candidates at the polls yet no women and persons with disabilities for positions.
“During our pre-election observation, which is clearly qualitative, we observed that none of these fielded candidates are neither females nor persons with disabilities which has imposed some limits on the aspirations of women and persons with disabilities for the highest executive position in the state.
“We however appreciate the fact that six of the political parties contesting at the polls fielded women aged between 36-60 years as Deputy Governorship Candidates,” she said.
“We have observed an upsurge in the total number of registered voters with an increase from 1.6 million at the last gubernatorial elections in 2018 to about 1.95 million presently. This indicates that more citizens are engaging in the political process and have taken advantage of the continuous voter’s registration towards ensuring that their votes count at the polls.
“FIDA Nigeria with support from Goree Institute under the Charter Africa Project will observe the participation of women and persons with disabilities at the polls through trained citizen observers deployed across the 30 Local Government Areas of Osun State.
“We hope that INEC abides by her 2018 framework on access and participation of persons with disabilities in the electoral process and the provisions of the Disability Act of 2019 towards ensuring effective and seamless participation of persons with disabilities in the elections through the provision of magnifying glasses for persons with low vision & albinism, braille for persons with visual impairment & providing priority voting for persons with disabilities, nursing mothers, pregnant women, the aged/elderly and other vulnerable groups at the polls, ” she added.
