By Emeka Nwokocha
A popular public enlightenment programme on Kpoko FM, “Vote Not Fight, Election No Be War” sponsored by a nongovernmental organization, Fostering Achievement of Community Empowerment (FACE) Initiative, in partnership with Community Empowerment and Development Initiative (CEDI), National Democratic Institute (NDI), and other partners has been commended by the good people of Delta State for its contribution in eradicating violence during elections in the state.
The commendation was made by the public during the Wednesday segment of the radio campaign programme on Kpoko FM, on March 15, 2023.
Speaking at the programme, the VNF Delta Campaign team, Comrade Emeka Nwokocha, Journalist and Human Rights Activist, and Mr. Mustapha Ehimigbai spoke extensively on the need to shun all acts of violence in the Nigeria election circle. They passionately called on the youths and other critical stakeholders of the forthcoming governorship and house of assembly elections holding on March 18 to conduct themselves in a peaceful manner during and after the polls, stressing that ‘Election No Be War.’
Continuing, they also admonished politicians to abide by the rules guiding the conduct of the elections and jettison the unpopular act of deploying youths to start violence with the intention of scuttling the election and manipulating the process for selfish reasons.
The VNF team assured the public that the election would be free, fair and credible, stating that INEC had put modalities in place to ensure the hitches that occurred in the Presidential and National Assembly elections will not recur, adding that security operatives have strengthened their operations to ensure voting is peaceful across the polling units in the state, even as they cautioned trouble makers to steer clear from violence as security operatives are on the alert to arrest any person fomenting trouble during and after the election.
Speaking further, they stated that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BIVAS) shall be used in the election, even as they urged the pubic not to lose confidence in the electoral umpire in the forthcoming election. They called on the public to come out in their numbers and exercise their franchise by electing credible persons into public offices.
“The Nigerian electoral system is undergoing serious reformation process through the introduction of the BIVAS technology which tends to ensure there is limited human interference in the outcome of elections,” they stated.
The VNF team charged the youths to be the heroes of the forthcoming election by carrying out their civic responsibilities without violence.
