Following the tribunal verdict on the 2023 general election, experts drawn from the public and private sectors have called for unity and cooperation among Nigerians, highlighting the sacrifices made by the country’s founding fathers and urging everyone to draw strength from their legacies.
Speaking at a symposium themed: “2023 General Elections and the Way Forward” in Abuja yesterday, the national coordinator/CEO of the African Union Development Agency, Gloria Akobundu, encouraged Nigerians to appreciate their country, work together as a people and support their leaders in making Nigeria a better place.
She said election is the most important tool of democracy to elect leaders and in any democratic setting or environment, the majority is entrusted with overall control of governance and the minority representation must have their say in line with the guidelines and principle of inclusiveness on good governance and popular participation ideals.
“It is instructive to state that election is one of the crucial pillars of democracy and the most acceptable process of periodic renewal of faith in those that govern as well as legitimising governance institutions in the continent.
“The conduct of any election basically is guided by the constitution of a country, its electoral act (law) and supervised by an impartial umpire composed of eminent persons or acceptable integrity.
“It is worthy of note that the need for effective implementation of the National Programme of Action (NPoA) on the recommendation of the Seconnd Country Review Report (CRR) of the Federal Republic of Nigeria necessitated a nation-wide awareness campaign on violence-free elections across the six geo-political zones and the FCT by AUDA-NEPAD/APRM Nigeria.
“During the sensitization exercise, it was resolved that AUDA-NEPAD/APRM, based on its mandate on election observation, should set up a situation room for the monitoring and observation of the 2023 General Elections and at this juncture, I wish to gladly inform you that, the Agency walks the talk and for the first time a Situation Room was birthed,” she said.
Akobundu explained that the situation room established by the agency gave real-time feedback from the accredited observers on the field and reports were uploaded to the situation room as it occurred even before going to the press.
Representing the chairman of EFCC, Mr. Adariku Micheal, deputy head of the general investigation section, Abuja zonal command, stressed the importance of continuous voter sensitisation to make citizens aware of the adverse consequences of selling their votes, which perpetuated bad governance.
He also advocated for the amendment of legal reforms to impose stricter penalties on vote buyers and sellers, sending a clear message that electoral corruption would not be tolerated.
