The Centre for Democracy and
Development (CDD) says the incidents of violence can affect voters turnout
during the governorship election in Kogi state.
In a statement jointly signed by
Adele Jinadu, CDD chairman, and Idayat Hassan, the director, the organisation
said the language being used by politicians in the state can affect voter
confidence and the credibility of the process.
The CDD urged security agencies
to protect the lives of the electoral officials and ensure that violence is
curbed during the election.
“Less than 48 hours to November
16, 2019, Kogi State Governorship election, political actors have failed to
de-escalate the tension, which had been building up in the State.
Unfortunately, this has set the stage for what could be a very bloody electoral
process, if urgent action is not taken to address the situation,” the
organisation said.
“It is disheartening that
political gladiators across the partisan divide have shown no apparent signs of
refraining from using vitriolic rhetoric capable of inflaming passions, which
could result in dire consequences for voter confidence and turnout and the
credibility of the entire process.
“At the CDD Elections Analysis
Centre, we believe the credibility of an election does not rest exclusively
with happenings on the polls or outcome of the elections. To us, equally
crucial is the nature of the environment heading into the polls, and mainly how
it contributes to the unfettered participation of all stakeholders, especially
political contestants in the process.
“Our findings from the
observation of the pre-election environment point to a very volatile political
environment, characterised by fierce rhetoric, threats of violence and actual
incidents of violence.
“At the last count also, the
threats of violence and actual incidents of violent disturbances, including the
condemnable arson on the party secretariat of the Social Democratic Party (SDP)
could have the effect of making voters stay away from the polls.”
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