Pulse.ng : Kaduna LG polls: CSO urge voters to protect their votes, resist votes selling

By Sani Idris

In view of the upcoming October 19 Local Government elections in Kaduna, a Civil Society Organisation (CSO), Gender Awareness Trust (GAT), supported by the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), has urged voters to protect their votes.

The CSO equally urged voters to resist votes selling in the Local Government elections.

The Executive Director of GAT, Dr Lydia Umar, made the call while addressing a press briefing on Friday at the National Human Right Commission's complex in Kaduna.

According to her, selling of votes may spell doom for the people in coming years, adding that who ever buys votes would want to recope back the money once he/she gets to the office.

Umar also called on voters to ensure a peaceful election by being orderly on the cues, allowing the aged, the pregnant women, suckling mothers and people with disability to be given priority.

She however said what is needed is not just a free, fair and credible election but a peaceful one during and after announcing the results.

She also called on all voters to protect their votes by supporting security officers to ensuring that no one is allowed to snatch ballot boxes and counting takes place right from the ward level.

Speaking further, the executive director called on all election officers to be professional, diligent and honest, while also calling on the media to be conflict-sensitive in their reportage.

Expressing concerns over women participation in politics, Umar said the situation since the inception of democracy in 2019 left much to be desired.

Umar disclosed that GAT, supported by the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), together with other NGOs have been working hard to change the narrative of women's exclusion in politics.

She said the trend shows that although women and young people constitute over 67 per cent of voters during general elections and over 80 per cent during LGA elections, they hardly occupied above three per cent of democratically elected positions.

According to her, appointive positions have been better with women about 50 50 in the Executive Council in addition to having a female Deputy Governor in the state.

"Researchers have shown that this is not
due to lack of effort, but many obstacles such as cultural and systemic that are well
known in the public domain,"she said.

In a goodwill message, State Coordinator of the National Human Rights Commission, Mr Terngu Gwar, said the commission had always campaigned and advocated for free, fair and credibly elections.

He added that they also sensitised women on contesting and participation in politics.

Gwar equally said that the commission observe the principle of credibility during elections, while urging the media to implore objectivity in their reportage.(NAN)