Participants at a one-day community dialogue on anti-corruption, transparency and accountability in Kogi have called for strict adherence to electoral rules by institutions tasked with the conduct of elections in the country.
The participants made the call in Lokoja, the state capital during a dialogue organised by Centre for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution (CHRCR) in collaboration with the Shehu Musa Yar’adua Foundation, with support from MacArthur Foundation.
In his submission, Mr Donatus Okpe, Former Managing Director of Kogi-owned weekly tabloid, “The Graphic Newspaper” said the institutions should rather direct their allegiance to the constitution of the country rather than political leaders.
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He said that they should stop being partial, saying the security architecture in the present form did not emphasise allegiance to the constitution and the nation but political leaders.
Okpe decried the present situation in which campaigns, rather than being issue based are filled with invectives and hate language and urged the media to dwell on issues, balance the news and be fair to all.
Earlier, in his welcome remarks, Mr Idris Miliki, Executive Director, CHRCR, organisers of the programme, said it was aimed at equipping the electorates, the Civil Society and the Media on the electoral rules and guidelines.
This, according to him, will enable them engage INEC and security agents on the need to observe and be guided by the laid down electoral guidelines and for them to ask the right questions where and when necessary.
Miliki, appealed to the media, civil society organisations and community leaders to help sensitise the electorate on the do’s and don’t’s guiding the conduct of the 2019 general elections.
