The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has said Nigeria must create space for inclusiveness in the electoral processes and ensure a peaceful poll ahead of the 2023 general elections, because of its very strategic position in the region.
The Commission said because of Nigeria’s enormous population it is working tirelessly to ensure that the electoral processes are done peacefully to avoid anything that can lead to conflict, warning that the region lacks the capacity to contain potential refugees.
This was disclosed by the ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Amb. Abel Fatau, at the opening of a training and interactive on “Use of Dialogue and Mediation as Tools for Preventing and/or Mitigating Election Related Disputes and Violence”, in Jos, Plateau State Capital.
The training and interactive session had participants from the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) cutting across the North-Central and North-East geopolitical zones of the country.
Fatau who was represented by the Commission’s Program Officer, Mediation, Dr Brown Odigie, said, “The essence of the programme is to bring stakeholders together, the leadership of the IPAC from the North-Central and North-East geopolitical zones, for them to dialogue, discuss, brainstorm, over the level of preparation for the 2023 general elections in Nigeria.
“With the hope of ensuring that all stakeholders play their role, including the police and INEC in ensuring a peaceful, free, fair and credible election that will be acceptable to all Nigerians.
“Creating space for dialogue and inclusivity in the electoral processes is key; because once you deny that inclusivity factor; it creates an opportunity for people to resort to violence.
“Grievances can be brought out and collectively, we look at the contentious issues and find common ground.
“We are doing it specifically for Nigeria because Nigeria is strategic in ECOWAS.
“Nigeria has an enormous population; election is a period that can generate conflict and if not effectively managed, have the potential of snowballing into violence.
“And when violence occurs, with the enormous population of Nigeria, it can spill over to other neighbouring countries.
“And I can assure you, no member country within ECOWAS will have the capacity to accommodate refugees from Nigeria.
“That is why, we do all we can, to encourage stakeholders to dialogue, by looking at contentious issues and seek ways to amicably resolve it to have a peaceful outcome”, he stressed.
In her remarks, the Program Officer of the United Nations Office in West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) Liaison Office in Nigeria, Mrs Sa’adatu Shuaibu said the training falls within the framework of UNOWAS JOINT efforts with ECOWAS to support member states in their efforts to conduct peaceful, inclusive, and credible elections and entrench democracy.
“As part of its efforts to ensure peaceful, credible and inclusive elections in Nigeria, UNOWAS has conducted various engagements with national stakeholders.
“It engaged with Nigeria authorities, parties, some presidential candidates, civil society organisations, the Independent national electoral commission ( INEC), the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) and members of the diplomatic corps on the need to strengthen peace, democracy, development and good governance in Nigeria”.
In his address, the National Secretary of IPAC, Yusuf Dantalle said, “A free, fair, credible, transparent, inclusive, peaceful and acceptable election is the beauty and bedrock of democracy.
According to him, The 2023 general elections are critical for sustainable democracy in Nigeria.
“The success of the elections will be a defining moment for our fellow compatriots who desire and yearn for transformational, visionary, progressive, purposeful and resourceful leaders who will restore Nigeria as the great arsenal of democracy in Africa”, he maintained.
Also speaking, Commissioner of Police, Plateau State Bartholomew Onyeka, represented by ACP Ejike Ochiabutor, said, “Plateau State Police Command under my watch as the prime law enforcement agency in the state has involved various workable strategic measures to ensure that the forthcoming general elections are conducted peacefully without any hitch all over the State.
He said, “The Command has carried out effective sensitisation of its officers and critical stakeholders in the state to virtually all rules guiding the conduct of the elections”
“We have made golden plans on how best to make deployments, protect the integrity of the electoral process, and make sure elections are credible to all, taking past elections as a case study”, he assured.
Representative of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Mr Egwurube Otokpa, the ECOWAS Commission has taken a very unique and very important step that will no doubt help to strengthen channels of information and deepen relations amongst the stakeholders and promote widespread collaborations on common issues faced and if one such arises are collectively addressed.
“We also urge stakeholders’ participation in this forum to act and behave responsibly even in the face of defeat or when they are victorious because in an electoral contest, there must be a loser and there must be a winner.