The British High Commission has called on the Federal Government of Nigeria to learn from, and improve for the 2023 general election, from the just-concluded Anambra State governorship election.
The Federal Government was also urged not to look down on the agitations, particularly the unusual one coming from South-East, now it has not escalated, saying that dialogue is important at the current stage of the agitations in South-East.
The call was made by Head of Political, British High Commission, Aneesah Islam, during the Justice Development and Peace Caritas, JDPC, Onitsha, review meeting on peace, security, peaceful election and service delivery project in Anamhra State, at Awka.
The meeting was with support from Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, FCDO.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room and the Social and Integral Development Center, SIDEC, has lamented that Anambra State had been witnessing low turn out of voters during elections from 2010 election.
Meanwhile, Islam thanked the people of Anambra State and all the people and groups who made the election peaceful, saying that before the election nobody believed that it will be peaceful and credible as recorded.
“Before the election, there was tension, no peace, but the election came and it was conducted peacefully.
“If peace is threatened, there will not be any election. So the Federal government should not disregard the agitations going on in Nigeria but should resolve all agitations and ensure that there is peace before the 2023 election, they should also learn for the success of the election.
Also speaking during the occasion, the FCDO Regional Coordinator Southern Nigeria, Dr Ulachi Roonie, told the Federal Government of Nigeria and South-East governors that there is need to return peace, normal business activities in South-East following the ongoing Monday weekly sit-at-home.
Voters’ apathy
Giving statistics percentage of the turn out of voters in the state, the South-East Coordinator of Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, and Executive Director of SIDEC, Mrs Ugochi Ehiahuruike, said from 1999, the state has not recorded up to 50% turn out of voters.
According to her, in 1999 the turn out of voters was 46.4%; 2003 was 47.22%; 2010, 16.33%; 2013, 24%; 2017, 21.74% and 2021 11.2 %.
She said the low turn out is not unconnected with politicians not keeping to their promises to the electorates.
JDPC Coordinate for Onitsha, Mr. Alponsus Nwoye and his Monitoring and Evaluation, M&E, counterpart, Princess Cynthia Arinze-Enweonwu, urged political parties and politicians to commence training and voter education for their followers, improve on their service delivery.
They also called for National Orientation Agency, NOA, resuscitation.
Reach the right people at the right time with Nationnewslead. Try and advertise any kind of your business to users online today.
Kindly contact us for your advert or publication @ Nationnewslead@gmail.com Call or Whatsapp: 08168544205, 07055577376, 09122592273
