Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre based in Abuja (CISLAC), has partnered with Jamatul Nasir Islam (NJI), Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Borno chapters, and other stakeholders on the need to conduct free, peaceful and credible general elections in the state.
The organisation has also trained 15 youths selected from various Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) who would be engaged in conflict tracking, before, during and after the polls.
Briefing journalists in Maiduguri on Tuesday, the executive director, CISLAC, Auwal Ibrahim Musa, said the importance of peace in the overall conduct of a free, fair, credible and participatory elections cannot be over-emphasized, hence, the need to engage all critical stakeholders plays a vital role to elect credible leaders that would provide dividends of democracy at all levels.
Represented by the senior programme officer of CISLAC, Mr. Solomon Adoga, he said, apart from the 15 youths trained on conflict tracking, additional ones would be engaged to cover all the 27 local government areas in the state.
He said: “It is the guarantee of peaceful conduct of elections that guarantees the participation of citizens, especially youths, women, the elderly and people living with disabilities.
“Moreso, in places where insecurity has prevailed, the need to guarantee citizens of a peaceful election becomes even more imperative.
“It is in line with this that we commended profoundly the various efforts championed by our partners Jamá’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) at the local government level that has brought about signing of the electoral peace accord in some local governments of the state.
“It is expected that Borno State would initiate the process which brings together the political gladiators and the political parties beyond the local government level commitments to agree to a pact which binds them to upholding the peaceful conduct of the election through-out the electioneering period.”
