The Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) has charged the Federal Government to address the lingering security challenges in the country before the conduct of the 2023 general elections.
TMG said the security situation in almost all parts of the country, if not addressed, could lead to voter apathy which may mar the electoral process.
The Chairman of TMG, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, made this known during a press conference on the state of the electoral process in Nigeria and the state of the nation.
“TMG calls on the government to urgently address our multifaceted security challenges before the conduct of the 2023 election to prevent voter apathy that may arise due to the inability of voters to travel to exercise their civic rights, the safety of electoral materials and election officials and the credibility of election results,” he said.
He said the corruption in Nigeria’s electoral processes is showing no signs of leaving soon as politicians continue to flaunt unaccounted campaign spending and party financing by using illegitimate funds as the sole means of winning voters over.
Rafsanjani called on INEC and other relevant agencies to tackle the menace to allow voters to form a more objective opinion of the people they are to vote for.
He said since 1999, credible local government elections in Nigeria have been illusory, the processes and outcome of the LGA elections have remained the will of the state and ruling party rather than reflecting the consent and aspirations of the people as the electorate.
“The political interference from the state government and partisanship of the state independent electoral commission has led to a lack of trust in local elections and the increasing cases of voter apathy with inconsistency in the application of electoral guidelines and poor communication channels between state electoral commissions and electoral stakeholders.
“TMG sees this as a rape of local governance that portends grave danger for participatory democracy, accountability and rural development. We call on the Nigeria Governors Forum, political parties and relevant stakeholders to join voices in ensuring that credible LGA elections are prioritized and conducted as at when due and reforms should be put in place for local institutional strengthening and framework for local government development.
“It is also of great concern that the autonomy of state judiciaries and Houses of Assembly are yet to take effect. This has continued to fuel disregard for the rule of law and court orders.
“Without the autonomy, separation of powers and checks and balances in Nigeria will remain only on paper as the executive continues to technically wield the powers of the other two arms of government.”
TMG also condemned the ongoing attempts to use security agencies to intimidate the citizenry. The group described it as barbaric.
“We make bold to say that the government is further eroding its legitimacy as long as it continues to use the military and other security agencies to intimidate and harass fellow Nigerians. This brazen infringement on the fundamental rights and civil liberties of Nigerians is a recipe for chaos and anarchy.
“This is an unfortunate return to those despicable days of the military when the goons of state were used to attempt a rollback of civil liberties and freedom. Thankfully, the forces of history were on the side of the Nigerian people.
“The heroic sacrifices of courageous Nigerians ensured that the military was chased out of the political space to the barracks, where they rightfully belong under full civilian control. The result is the current democracy that Nigerians enjoy today, despite all its many flaws,” he said.
On reforming TMG, Rafsanjani said the board will lead the group strategically to redefine its purpose, goals, and competitive position to enable it to identify where and how it can best and most effectively contribute to the development of democracy in Nigeria.
“We pledge to lead the TMG in an internal re-engineering process to restructure its operational organs to enhance its ability to perform its functions with greater effectiveness and efficiency,” he added.
He said the new leadership of TMG will run an all-inclusive organization, rebuilding partnerships with citizens, donor partners and civil society organizations, re-establishing the organization in its core areas of work – election observation, civic education and promotion of democracy.
He said in the next four years, TMG will focus on Advocacy to Reform and Institutionalize Internal Democracy in Nigeria’s Political Parties, Engage in Massive Voters’ Education, Sensitization on Continuous Voters’ Registration, Engage in Observing Conducts of Security Personnel, Politicians and Political Parties during Elections, and Observation of Election Litigations/Tribunals in Nigeria.
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