…wants investigation of alleged human rights violation by security officers

By Gabriel Ewepu

AN election observer, the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), Wednesday, called on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to deploy improved devices, especially the Biometric Voters Accreditation System, BVAS, in other elections ahead.

This was stated by the Chairman, TMG, Auwal Rafsanjani, while speaking on issues before the election which included violence in the State that led to low voter turn out, describing it as bad omen for the country’s democracy.

Rafsanjani said: “Now that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has declared the winner of the Anambra State 2021 gubernatorial election, as a civil society election observation organisation in Nigeria, the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), calls for the improvement of election equipment especially the Biometric Voters Accreditation System, BVAS, ahead of other elections.”

Meanwhile, he called on heads of security agencies to investigate officers allegedly involved in human rights violation, and if found culpable should be dealt with according to law.

 He also decried the earlier threat of non-state actors before the election that made most voters to remain indoors, hence deprived them of not exercising their franchise.

“The stand of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the strong presence of security operatives had an effect on how voters came out to exercise their franchise.

“We urge the leadership of security agencies to investigate and charge to court all security operatives who engaged in violation of human rights, and gross misconduct during the election.

“Government should stand up to the challenges of insecurity in the country, so that the 2023 election will not witness voters’ apathy, as was the case in Anambra”, he said.

He also decried vote-buying as some voters sold their vote as low as N2, 000, while he accused security operatives for turning their eyes from the gross misconduct that violates the Electoral Act.

“Voters were seen selling their votes for as low as N2, 000. In some cases, the security operatives looked away while vote buying was going on at some polling units”, he said.

But he hailed voters of Ebenebe community in Awka North, Anambra State, especially, women, who vehemently rejected offers for their votes, therefor, called on Nigerians to emulate their resolve and patriotism to do the right as “demonstrated by these heroines of the elections.”

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Furthermore, Rafsanjani, TMG boss, while observing that vote-buying was the business of the day during the governorship poll, said “Voters were seen selling their votes for as low as N2000. In some cases, the security operatives looked away while vote buying was going on at some polling units.”

He, however commended residents of Ebenebe Community, Awka North, particularly women for publicly resisting vote buying in their polling unit, urging “Nigerians to emulate the sterling example demonstrated by these heroines of the elections.”

Also doubling as Chairman Board of Trustees, Amnesty International Nigeria, Head of Transparency International Nigeria, and Executive Director, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, CISLAC, decried nonpayment of election duty allowance to police personnel who allegedly staged protest over the issue.

He urged government to pay their allowances ahead of elections in order to prevent inducement from politicians and their supporters that would jeopardize the electoral process but focus on their assignment.

“Once you deprive security operatives of their allowances during an electoral period, they are high chances that they will be forced to be corrupt in order for them to survive”, he stated.

Also speaking was the Vice Chairman, TMG, Miriam Menkiti, expressed disappointment over malfunctioning of the BVAM including Card Readers during the election as voters were demoralized and left without exercising their civic right.

“It is shocking that despite the consistent statement by INEC that the card readers were all set for the elections, we still witnessed a high rate of poor connection of the BVAM in various part of the State.

“TMG appeals to INEC to live up to the task of providing smooth elections for Nigerians in the 2023 general elections which will be cumbersome and overstretch the electoral umpire,” Menkiti added.