- Connected Development says it'll play its part to ensure credible elections take place in all local governments across the country
- The civil society organization is one of the election observers accredited by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the 2019 election
- INEC had stated the importance of having election observers at polling units to increase transparency of the process
A civil society organisation, Connected Development (CODE), says ahead of the 2019 general elections, it'll play its part to ensure credible elections take place in all local governments across the country.
The chief executive officer of CODE and head of the observer mission, Hamzat Lawal, made this known in a statement sent to Legit.ng on Tuesday, January 29.
Legit.ng gathered that CODE is one of the election observers accredited by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the 2019 election.
According to Lawal, “the foundation and success of democratic forms of government starts with credible elections guided by active participation of relevant stakeholders, resulting in the legitimacy of elected governments.”
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Before now, CODE had regularly deployed resources in observing elections; with experience in Kenya in 2013, since 2015 in Nigeria, and the 2016 United States of America elections.
Lawal who expressed concerns over vote-buying strategies adopted by political parties, disapproved the act and fears that could impede the credibility of the upcoming elections.
He espoused citizens’ participation in social contracting, that “before you can #FollowTheMoney, you have to first elect credible public officials into office.”
The INEC chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, had stated the importance of having election observers at polling units to increase transparency of the process and provide useful feedback mechanism for strengthening electoral procedures.
“Election observers do not interfere with the electoral process; they observe, take note and provide reports to improve election processes. They are present to allay fears and doubts of voters who may think their votes will not count due to their preemptive notions of elections in Nigeria,” he stressed.
Meanwhile, the INEC chairman has vowed to solely man the result collation centre during the election, stressing that he will not share his constitutional responsibility as the chairman of the collation secretariat with anybody.
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The INEC boss said his decision was in order to ensure transparency and build confidence in the electoral process.
He, however, raised the alarm over what he described as the increasing violence tendencies by youths who could be used by politicians to carry out nefarious activities, warning that the elections might be disrupted if the security agencies refuse or fail to carry out their jobs, in line with INEC’s specifications.
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