Some of the 24 armoured vehicles donated by the United States to the Nigerian military at the Nigerian Army 9th Brigade Parade Ground in Lagos, on January 7, 2016.
The U.S. government donated the vehicles to help fight Boko Haram, an extremist group whose six-year insurgency has killed over 17,000 people. / AFP / STEFAN HEUNIS (Photo credit should read STEFAN HEUNIS/AFP/Getty Images)
Civil Society Organisations on Friday said the presence of soldiers at polling units would scare voters.
They insisted that soldiers should stay off the vicinity of polling units during the governorship and Kogi West Senatorial elections in Kogi State today (Saturday).
The groups commended the efforts of the security personnel for their preparedness towards the poll.
The spokesperson for the CSOs, Dudu Manuga, spoke at the Nigerian Civil Society Situation Room in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital.
She urged the Independent National Electoral Commission to ensure the conduct of a credible election.
She said, “This election is the first major election since the 2019 general elections and it’s a tense environment. It is our expectation that INEC and other election stakeholders, including security agencies, would make every effort to improve on the quality and credibility of the general elections.
“Kogi State has a history of electoral violence, as well as a high level of political thuggery when compared to other states of the federation, and has had numerous cases of inconclusive elections as a result. Presently, the Situation Room has received breakers of pre-election violence in many parts of the state, prominently at Anyigba in Dekina Local Government.”
Manuga also called on security agencies to be non-partisan and provide adequate security during the election.
