• Friday, March 29, 2024
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Nigeria must address impunity, electoral violence to save democracy – CACOL

DEBO-ADENIRAN-CACOL

The Coalition against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) has said Nigeria must urgently take measures to address impunity and set up an Electoral Offences Commission to address the violence which has characterised recent elections in the country.

CACOL lamented the inability of security agencies and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to punish politicians who perpetrate electoral violence in the country, stressing that the trend portends danger for the nation’s democracy.

Elections in Nigeria have increasingly become controversial and violence-ridden in recent years due to desperation on the part of politicians to win at all cost.

According to INEC and security agencies, more than 10 people were killed in the recently concluded Bayelsa and Kogi States’ gubernatorial elections including a women leader of the main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Kogi State.

This, has, however, prompted outcry from stakeholders who have called for concerted effort to deal with the trend.

But speaking in an interview with BDSUNDAY, , Chairman of CACOL, Debo Adeniran said the trend had continued because of inability of government to punish culprits.

Adeniran urged the government to put pressure on the National Assembly to pass the Electoral Offences Commission bill, saying that it was necessary to bring sanity into the electoral process.

According to him, “A situation where people rigged elections and get away with it and still remain in public office, collect salary and are not found guilty is not helping us.

“And that is why we are asking for the kind of Electoral Offences Commission to be set up so that it would monitor electoral offences and get people investigated, prosecuted and punished.

“Just like we are making progress in the fight against corruption, we should also make progress in the areas of conducting elections in the country.

“The government must act fast, to save Nigeria’s democracy because it is becoming frightening,” Adeniran said.

Speaking further, the activist called for electoral reforms to guarantee electronic voting and check electoral manipulations, while lamenting the large numbers of political parties in the country and called for their reduction.

The CACOL boss, however, urged Nigerians to support the anti-graft of the Muhammadu Buhari administration, saying that there was no way the anti-graft war could be won without violating the right of some individuals.

“We should amend the law to allow for electronic voting and electoral offenders to be punished. Political parties should be registered on the basis of ideology; it should not just be based on all comers affair.

“If political parties are to be registered as they should have a clear cut ideology that they want to implement when they get to office. Parties who have similar ideological lineage should be joined together.

“If this is done we are not going to have so many political parties like we have now and voters would make informed decisions. The voters would look at the kind of ideologies they have, and decide if it is going to be capitalist or socialist,” Adeniran added.

 

Iniobong Iwok