Jutha Gupah, Maiduguri
February 14, 2023.
The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has trained 15 election trackers to conduct a peaceful, free and credible 2023 general elections in Borno State.
Training of the election trackers, is funded by the European Union (EU) through the EU-SDGN2 project in the country.
While closing the training sessions, yesterday (Tuesday), in Maiduguri, CISLAC’s Senior Programme Officer, Solomon Adoga, disclosed: “Where insecurity has continued to prevail like in the Northeast, there is the need to guarantee citizens of peaceful elections that become even more imperative.”
He noted that the importance of peace in the overall conduct of free, fair, credible and participatory elections cannot be over-emphasized.
He said that it is the guarantee of peaceful conduct of elections; that ensures effective participation of the electorates, particularly women, the aged and people living with disabilities.
He, therefore, commended the efforts championed by the Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) at the local government level, where most of the people live.
“The efforts of JNI have led to the signing of the Electoral Peace Accord (EPAC) in some of the local councils in Borno state,” he said.
Continued; “It is expected that the state would initiate the process,” adding that it will bring together the political gladiators including political parties that are beyond local council level and communities.
He said that the peace accord comprises an agreement to a pact which binds them to upholding the peaceful conduct of the election during the electioneering period.
“As the elections, are barely 10 days to conduct, it’s not too late, as lessons could be drawn from the various communities of councils,” he noted.
According to him, peace accords have become very useful and a critical tool to upholding peaceful conducts of election stakeholders.
On the importance of peace accord, he said: “Tendencies for political campaigns and other electioneering activities to stoke up violence are usually high in democracies like ours.
“Drawing from these experiences, stakeholders have felt the need to organize and mobilize for peace agreements.”
He added that during the 2015 general elections, when the political climate was at a high degree of burning, the National Peace Accord stepped up to commit the presidential parties to peace agreements.
According to him, the provisions of the agreement include the commitment to prevail on their respective supporters to maintain peace in their activities.
He maintained that the aftermath of that election brought about one of the most historic democratic power transitions in Africa.
Since then, the process has continued to be improved upon, with the political parties now brought into the frame, while states are also adopting the same measure at that level.
In Borno state, stakeholders have been working and completed the process of some of the local councils.
He, therefore, urged for a state-wide peace accord on the 2023 elections in the State.
“The State is to emulate the National Peace Accord,” he said, adding that the accord includes the various peace agreements entered into by several states in the country.
