The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC on Tuesday said it would convene a meeting of all political parties and security agencies to curb the violent campaigns across the country.
Speaking during the Training of Master Trainers on Election Technology for the 2023 General Election’, INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu lamented that even as the Commission is working hard to ensure a credible process in the forthcoming elections, reports of clashes among parties and their supporters in some States of the country during the ongoing electioneering campaign are worrisome.
“So too is the reported denial of access to public facilities for parties and candidates in some States of the Federation. Let me caution parties and their supporters to focus on issues and steer clear of attacks on each other. These are not only violations of the Electoral Act 2022 but also negate the voluntary commitment by all political parties and candidates to the letter and spirit of the Peace Accord signed about three weeks ago under the auspices of the National Peace Committee (NPC). Parties, candidates and their supporters should not by acts of commission or omission further complicate the prevailing security situation in the country. A peaceful electioneering campaign is critical to the conduct of peaceful and credible elections.
“The Commission will continue to monitor the situation closely and will convene a meeting with leaders of political parties next week to discuss, among other issues, the imperative of peaceful campaigns and equal access to public facilities. In the same vein, the Commission will also meet with the security agencies under the auspices of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) next week”, he stated.
It will be recalled that on Sunday the Zamfara Police Command confirmed the death of a man while 18 others sustained injuries following a clash between supporters of two youth groups in the state.
According to the police, the groups involved in the clash are suspected to be supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.