YIAGA wants INEC to intensify voter education effort

With the November 16, 2019 gubernatorial elections in Bayelsa and Kogi State draws near ,YIAGA AFRICA, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to intensify its voter education effort to build citizens’ confidence in the process.

The Executive Director, YIAGA AFRICA, Samson Itodo, in a press release issued on Tuesday in Abuja the group said INEC needs to ensure proper coordination with the security agencies to guarantee the security of polling officials especially the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members that will be deployed on election day.

He said INEC needs to properly communicate its plans to ensure that voters at polling units affected by flood can vote.

According to him, this should include information on where and how these voters in the affected polling units will vote.

He said for peaceful election to take place there need for better inter-agency collaboration betweem security agencies towards the elections especially on election day in already identified hotspots in riverine areas in Bayelsa and LGAs identified in Kogi states.

“Security agencies working on the elections should ensure that all personnel deployed are properly trained.

“Political parties and candidates have a role to play in ensuring peaceful elections and should desist and refrain from recruiting thugs, militants, cultists, criminals, etc. to deploy violence.

“Citizens should guard their PVC and voter details because the PVC is the only identity card that guarantees their right to vote on election.

“WTV findings specifically disclosed ongoing buying and selling of PVCs in Southern Ijaw and Ogbia in Bayelsa state and Okehi, Ankpa, and Idah in Kogi state and distribution of money or gift items in all the LGAs in Bayelsa except for Kolokuma/Sagbama, Ekeremor.  

“In Kogi State, there were no reports of voter inducement in Okene, Ankpa, Dekina, Igalamela/Odolu, Ofu, Olamaboro, Omala, Ijamu, Mopa Moro and Yagba East LGA,” he said .

Leave a Reply