The Director-General, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Garba Abari, on Wednesday cautioned Anambra State residents against vote-buying/selling by politicians.
He also urged the electorate to vote properly to avoid invalid votes, political thuggery, election violence and ballot box snatching, among other vices.
The NOA boss, who was represented by the Deputy Director, Political Civic, Ethnic-Value, NOA Headquarters, Abuja, Mr Edozie Ajaegbu, made the appeal during the official flag-off campaign against vote-buying/selling ahead of the November 6, 2021 governorship in the state.
He said NOA, in line with its mandate of public enlightenment and feedback from the public to government, had identified certain traits in voters behaviour, which if not tackled through mass sensitization and awareness creation, could slow down or derail the country’s democratic process.
Abari, listed some of the worrisome voter behaviours which the agency wished to tackle in the build-up to the forthcoming Anambra State Governorship election to include: the challenges of voided votes, the challenge of vote-buying/selling and the need for a peaceful election.
He called on the Anambra State Government, local government, traditional rulers, religious leaders, Civil Society Organisations, security organisations in the state, INEC and political parties to support and work with the agency for a successful poll.
In his welcome address, the State Director of the agency, Charles Edozie Nwoji, assured the participants that NOA, under his watch in Anambra state, would carry out the campaign across the 21 local government areas of the state, to ensure free, fair and transparent process, come November 6.
He noted that ahead of the election proper, the agency had fully mobilised its machinery in the 21 LGAs of the state to engage in the following critical areas; robust sensitisation of Ndi-Anambra on the ongoing CVR, reduction in the challenge of voided votes during elections, through sustained voter education, sensitization of the electorate against vote-buying and selling and sensitization of all citizens for peaceful election in the subsequent weeks and months.
He advised the Presidents-General of all town unions in the state to approach the agency through the Community Orientation and Mobilisation Officers in charge of their various LGAs for sustained sensitization.
Speaking also, the President General, Ohanaeze Ndi-Igbo, Anambra State branch, Prince Emeka Odedeme, said the programme was an opportunity for the association to partner with the agency, to intensify the campaign across the 181 communities in the state.
He noted that Ohanaeze Ndi-Igbo had not endorsed any candidate for the election and that the association would only do that immediately after its planned debate for all the guber candidates
The resource person, Professor Collins Okafor of the Department of Political Science, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, and the Chairman, Anambra Society for Network, Prince Chris Azor, in their separate speeches, urged the electorate to come out en masse and vote candidates of their choice, as well as avoid violence before, during and after the election.
“Do not sell your votes during the election. Once you collect money from any politician and vote them into power, you have mortgaged your future”, the duo admonished.
They equally called for more sensitisation exercises before the closing of political campaigns.
Nigerian Tribune gathered that INEC, civil society organisations, Police, Civil Defence and FRSC officials also participated in the programme.
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