COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT THE ONE-DAY PUBLIC SENSITIZATION ON THE THEME: “TOWARDS A FREE, FAIR, AND CREDIBLE 2023 GENERAL ELECTIONS” ORGANIZED BY THE ABUJA NATIONAL MOSQUE DA’AWAH AND WELFARE FOUNDATION, HELD AT THE CONFERENCE HALL OF ABUJA NATIONAL MOSQUE ON THE 16TH DAY OF RAJAB, 1444 AH, (7TH FEBRUARY, 2023):
The Abuja National Mosque Da’awah and Welfare Foundation, (ANMDWF) as part of its mandate at sensitizing the general public on peaceful co-existence and the need to have hitch-free general elections in the country, organized a one-day Public Sensitization exercise with the theme: “Towards a Free, Fair, and Credible 2023 General Elections”. The Sensitization exercise was organized to sensitize Nigerians, especially the youths, on the need to synergize on new ideas, fresh perspectives and international best practices in confronting election challenges, such as vote buying and vote selling, electoral violence among others, before, during and after elections. It also highlighted public expectations of INEC and the Security Agencies before, during and after the elections. It also enlightened participants on the New Electoral Act and the use of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) as well as INEC Results Viewing (IReV) Portal. The Role of Security Agencies, Judiciary, Politicians, Religious Leaders, Traditional Rulers, Youths, Civil Society Organizations and other Oversight Agencies in ensuring free, fair, and Credible Elections were extensively discussed. The role of the Media in ensuring violence-free Elections through fair and impartial reportage and countering fake news was also part of the discussions during the programme.
The Foundation invited Stakeholders from both Public and Private sectors, leadership of Political Parties, INEC, Security Agencies, Religious Leaders, Traditional Rulers, Youths, Media and Women Organizations as well as Civil Society Groups. Speakers were selected from relevant organizations and agencies that have direct impact on election matters, such as the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the Former INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Muhammad Jega, the Secretary-General, Jama’atu Nasril Islam, JNI, Associate Prof. Khalid Abubakar Aliyu and other notable Scholars and Professionals who presented papers on the different sub-themes.
The Sensitization programme was chaired by His Eminence, Alh. Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, CFR, mni, the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General, Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, and hosted by the Murshid of Abuja National Mosque, Prof. Shehu Ahmad Sa’id Galadanci, CON, and was well attended by Traditional and Religious Leaders, representatives of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Minister of FCT, Inspector-General of Police, Controller-General of Customs Service, Comptroller-General of Correctional Service, Director-General, Department of State Security Service, Executive Chairman of EFCC, and members of the general public across the six geo-political zones of Nigeria. The Sensitization also witnessed attendance from the Diplomatic Community, Civil Society Groups and Media Organizations.
Welcoming the Speakers and Participants to the programme, the Murshid of Abuja National Mosque and Host of the programme, Prof. Shehu Ahmad Sa’id Galadanci, CON, lamented the rising security challenges and attacks on INEC and police facilities all over the country. He revealed that the Management of the National Mosque became worried and felt the need to, as a religious institution, convene a sensitization, exercise on the electorates and other relevant stakeholders, with the support and approval of His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto.
The Chairman of the Event, His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto and President General, NSCIA, emphasized on the need for all hands to be on deck in ensuring that the forthcoming General Elections, were free, fair, and credible. He appreciated the initiatives of the Foundation, which he stated were complimentary to the efforts of the National Peace Committee, of which he was a member. The Chairman also advised the Political Leaders to conduct their activities in an orderly and peaceful manner, they should organize their campaigns on issue base and stop attacking the persons of their political opponents.
In his Keynote Address, Prof. Attahiru Muhammad Jega stated that among the major challenge to the 2023 general elections, were the Politicians, who as major Stakeholders have their mindset to achieve victory at all cost, deploying all means necessary, seeing electoral contests as a “do or die” affair, perpetrating electoral offences with incredible impunity, enticing security, election officials, judicial officers and even voters, with money so as to influence electoral outcomes in their favour. He further stated that the Politicians arm and drug thugs from the large pool of unemployed youths and pay them to intimidate, harass, and violently disrupt the electoral process. Because their criminal and fraudulent predispositions are left unchecked, their activities have become one of the major challenges towards the conduct of the 2023 general elections.
OBSERVATIONS:
Having thoroughly discussed and analyzed the papers presented by the Speakers, especially the Keynote Address and the INEC presentations on the role of BVAS and IReV in the 2023 General Elections, the following observations came to the fore:
1. That, as remarkable as the improved role of INEC has noticeably been, such improvement alone cannot guarantee successful and unblemished elections. All hands must therefore be on deck on three major areas:
a) Improvement in the role and participation of security agencies in the electoral process; Inter-Security Agency Committee set to monitor elections to be done;
b) Improvement in the role of the Judiciary in electoral adjudication, both in the handling of pre-election and post-election litigations;
c) Upscaling of the positive role of Civil Society Organizations, (CSOs) Community-based Organizations, (CBOs), Traditional, Religious and Community Leaders, is necessary in the areas of sensitization, voter education, peace building and conflict resolution in Communities and Electoral constituencies.
2. That, continuous Sensitization, Public Enlightenment and Voters Education are necessary throughout the four-year electoral cycle, because they must know how to vote and not waste their votes.
3. That, the law enforcement agencies, have equipped their operatives at the different zonal commands and fully ready to work sincerely with INEC to ensure that the right things are done by the electorates. However, the level of insecurity currently facing the country, through the activities of Terrorists, Bandits and Kidnappers across the country, have become among the most critical challenges towards the successful conduct of 2023 General Elections.
4. That, to achieve electoral integrity, all forms of electoral fraud, such as vote buying, vote selling, voter’s inducement and all forms of malpractices, must be fought by the relevant institutions, and that the Electorates should be aware that electoral fraud are the same as economic and financial crimes, which are punishable by appropriate laws of the land. Offenders at all levels must be prosecuted for future exercises.
5. That, INEC appears to be fully prepared with nearly 750,000 ad-hoc staff, about 140,000 vehicles, over 4,000 boats and 80,000 motorcycles being in the right places with the right quantities, as well as the introduction of the new Electoral Law, the BVAS and the IReV Portal.
6. That, the media has a great role to play, being the “fourth estate of the realm”. It could champion a vigorous enlightenment campaign, aimed at educating our youths to shun being used as tools for violence. That tensions rise in the society and crisis erupt when “fake news” are spread among the people via social media platforms, and this is capable of causing untold hardship in the society because it can easily lead to violence.
7. That, the youths represents 40% of the electorates going into the 2023 general elections, however, their engagements on social media, regarding elections, have not translated into Voter turnout in recent elections.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Sequel to the observations enumerated above, the Public Sensitization proffers the following recommendations which are targeted towards ensuring a free, fair and credible 2023 General Elections:
i) Mr. President cannot do it alone; hence, we are calling on all Governors, Members of the Legislature, Judiciary and indeed the Ministers to join hands with Mr. President, in giving our Nation a free, fair, transparent and credible elections.
ii) There should be synergy and inter agency collaborations among all security agencies to protect lives and properties before, during and after elections so as to stem the possibility of using armed thugs, unemployed innocent youths or even bandits to disrupt the electoral process and intimidate electorates.
iii) That Judiciary must be awake to its responsibilities in electoral adjudication, both in handling pre-election and post-election litigations, so as to cure entrenched public perception that electoral justice still goes to the highest bidder.
iv) All religious leaders, regardless of sects and organizations, should engage in sensitizing their members on the importance of violent free, fair, credible and peaceful elections.
v) Traditional rulers should engage the political, religious as well as youth organizations to shun hate speeches and promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence among themselves in the pre and post-election periods.
vi) Media, as the fourth estate of realm, must not allow itself to be manipulated but rather, should champion a vigorous enlightenment campaign aimed at educating our youths to shun violence in the forthcoming 2023 General Elections
vii) As a matter of desirability, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), Community-Based Organizations (CBO), Traditional, Religious and Community Leaders, should upscale their roles in sensitization, voter education, peace-building and conflict management.
viii) Nigerians require continuous voter education, they must know how to vote and not waste their votes.
ix) The Youths should be sensitized on the need to translate their demographic advantage to impact outcome of the 2023 general elections by taking their participation beyond social media to actual voting on Election Day.
x) The Security Agencies should demonstrate high level of patriotism, professionalism, and promote inter-agency cooperation, for providing security before, during and after elections.
xi) Finally, it is imperative to apply tripartite approach in which INEC, National Orientation Agency (NOA) and Civil Society Organization (CSOs) shall jointly sensitize the general public including the electoral officials on the strategic importance of free, fair and credible elections to the sustainability of democracy at Local, State and Federal levels.
Conclusion
The forthcoming 2023 General Elections is going to be the most consequential election in Nigeria and major determinant of our indivisibility as a nation, thus, all hands must be on deck to achieve a free, fair and credible election at all levels. We are further appealing to all stakeholders to work assiduously towards achieving violence free elections, and that INEC should liaise with the Judiciary to ensure appropriate prosecution of electoral offenders during and after elections to serve as deterrence to others and restore trust of Nigerians in the electoral process.
While enjoining on everyone to be prayerful in these trying times, we at the National Mosque will continue to pray that Almighty Allah, in His infinite mercy, will give our dear country Nigeria, Leaders that will have the interest of the masses in their hearts.
The Abuja National Mosque Da’awah and Welfare Foundation expresses her special gratitude to everyone that made this one-day sensitization exercise possible.
Imam Dr. Muhammad Kabir Adam,
Chairman, ANMDWF
Alh. Umoru A. Jafaru
Secretary, ANMDWF
