Collins Nnabuife – Abuja
Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), Transmission Monitoring Group (TMG) and Kano Civil Society Elections Situation Room have called on the media to filter credible Civil Society Groups from politically sponsored groups who hide under the names of credible organisations to peddle fake stories that suit their narratives.
The CSOs called on the public to disregard reports making rounds using the names of credible organisations calling for the cancelation of the governorship election in Kano.
In a statement by the Chairman, TMG, Auwal Ibrahim Musa and the Convener, Kano Civil Society Elections Situation Room, Amb. Ibrahim Waiya warned against the illegal use of their names to spin narratives that are capable of further heating up the polity and creating chaos in Kano State and in Nigeria.
The two groups, however, assured the public that they have never at any time issued such statements nor been a party to such conclusions.
The statement reads: “We strongly believe in democratic approaches to settling elections disputes and encourage all who are not satisfied with the process to seek redress in the court of law.
“We urge the media to filter credible civil society groups from faceless, politically sponsored groups who hide under the names of credible organisations to concoct fake stories that suit their narratives.
“While we note the widespread electoral violence and other forms of electoral malfeasance that categorised the governorship elections, particularly in Kano and other parts of the country, we stand by our earlier recommendations on the part of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other stakeholders to improve the elections in Nigeria.
“There is a need for strengthened collaboration with the security agencies in Nigeria is critical towards ensuring electoral security in Nigeria.
“As part of post-mortem activities of the 2023 general elections, INEC must begin to prioritise collaboration with security agencies to protect voters from political thugs in future elections.
“Justice must be served and seen to be served on those who perpetrated electoral violence in the 2023 elections, not just in Kano but in all the flashpoints across the country. As we call on the international community to sanction these offenders, Nigeria must be seen to take action to ensure justice.
“We have seen how overburdened INEC can be and call on the incoming 10th National Assembly to prioritise legislation to establish the electoral offenders’ tribunal/commission which will take away the burden from INEC and ensure adequate and timely prosecution of electoral offenders in Nigeria.
“We recommend that all potential elections observers should pass through Anti-Corruption Agencies screening henceforth, to ensure that only prudent and credible organizations are accredited as observers in future elections
“We recommend that, all accredited observers should learn and strictly adhere with INEC guidelines on observers operations, to appreciate their limitations as observers, which is only to observe and make recommendations”.
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