The Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership, CACOL, has urged Nigerian voters and politicians to avoid violence and embrace peace as the 2023 general elections get underway on Saturday.
The organisation stated that the elections will take place despite the country’s numerous challenges, such as fuel scarcity, cash shortages, insecurity, and high inflation, among others, but urged Nigerians to vote peacefully.
CACOL made this appeal in a press release titled ‘2023 Elections: CACOL calls for Calm’ issued on Thursday by its Director of Administration and Programmes, Tola Oresanwo.
The statement partly read, “It would be recalled that we have few days left before the presidential and parliamentary elections in Nigeria, It will be the largest democratic exercise on the continent as Africa’s most populous nation picks a new president.
“The election, as important as it is, would take place even as the country battles myriad economic and security problems that range from fuel and cash shortages to rising terror attacks, high inflation, and a plummeting local currency.”
CACOL also urged the country’s electoral body, INEC to ensure free, fair and credible democratic exercises across the country.
“Inasmuch as we would like to commend the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for its efforts to ensure a credible election through the adoption of innovative technologies such as the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) we cannot but express concern about existing predicaments like logistical difficulties of fuel and cash scarcity that could impact the integrity of the elections,” it said.
“We all know that fuel shortages and scarcity of the newly redesigned local currency have stirred violent protests in parts of Nigeria as millions of people struggle to get their hands on new versions of bank notes.
“The rising security concerns and frequent attacks on INEC facilities in the country is a challenge to the safety of voters and integrity of the forthcoming election which is poised to become a seminal moment in the country’s political history.
“We at CACOL would like to use this medium to call on all stakeholders that have one thing or the other to do with the upcoming elections to put in their best so that we can have free, fair and transparent elections. We would also like to call on the citizens to remain calm and allow the government to fix the myriads of problems bedeviling the country.”
It added, “To the contestants to various elective positions, we want them to know that they can only represent the people in an atmosphere of peace and tranquility, we need peaceful elections to give democracy a boost in the country, hence the need for all the candidates, the party chairmen and members of all political parties, to respect the voice of Nigerians and embraced the politics of peace.”