The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, a coalition of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), has urged the National Communications Commission (NCC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to fulfill their mandates in advance of the elections.
Ene Obi, the convener of the Situation Room, made the call while speaking on the general election preparations on Wednesday in Abuja.
Obi stated that President Muhammadu Buhari must ensure that government agencies involved in the elections fulfill their responsibilities.
She stated that the 2023 general elections would take place on Saturday to elect the President and members of the National Assembly, and on March 11 to elect 28 of the 36 state governors and members of the state legislatures.
“For the first time, the BVAS will be deployed nationwide in a general election, this makes the National Communications Commission (NCC) a key stakeholder in the process.
“The Commission will be held responsible for any network issues and internet outages on election day. Security agencies are expected to deploy adequately to hotspots as identified by INEC and other stakeholders to forestall violence.
“Today, the Election Situation Room opens with the launch of the report of our Pre-Election Assessment which presents the findings of an assessment of Nigeria’s pre-election environment ahead of the 2023 general election.
“It provides a contextual analysis of the socio-economic and political factors shaping the 2023 elections, examines INEC’s preparations for the elections, and highlights the key issues and security challenges that would define the election.”
Obi stated that the Situation Room would deploy 2,410 observers for the 2023 general elections, with at least three observers per local government area in each state of the Federation, as well as 131 persons with disabilities.
She stated that the Situation Room’s observation of the election process would consider, among other things, the electoral environment, INEC’s preparedness, election security, and political party activities.
“We are positive that citizens are ready and willing to cast their votes. Every general election in Nigeria comes with its challenges and we rely on the assurance of INEC that it is prepared to conduct the election.
” Situation Room commends the Commission for the efforts made so far despite huge challenges, however, the Commission can do more to ensure a credible poll.
“Situation Room urges INEC to do its utmost best and take final steps to strategically address the gaps and challenges highlighted.
“Situation Room specifically called on the political parties to conduct themselves peacefully and to discourage violence by their supporters,” she said.
