Kogi poll: Group urges women to resist vote buying

James Azania, Lokoja

 

A non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Centre for Transparency and Advocacy, has urged women to shun electoral inducement, vote buying and violence.

The group advised them to vote for the candidates of their choice in the forthcoming Kogi West senatorial and governorship elections in Kogi State.

It also urged the electorate to remain firm in the face of threats and intimidation to engender a democratic culture that will foster free and fair polls.

Its Executive Director, Faith Nwabishi, gave the advise in Lokoja, during the stakeholders meeting tagged: “Towards Credible November 16 Governorship and Kogi West Senatorial District elections in Kogi State.”

She said the meeting was organised to bring together civil society organisations, traditional institutions, religious bodies, women and youth groups, electoral officers, media and security agencies to brainstorm on how to ensure credible elections.

Faith Nwabishi commended Nigerians for sustaining democracy in the last 20 years, adding that all hands should be on deck to avoid the pitfalls of previous elections.

She said: “For democracy to thrive, all Nigerians must be ready to make sacrifices by ensuring that democratic ideals becomes a culture where the citizenry and stakeholders effectively play their roles to strengthen the electoral process.

“This meeting affords us the opportunity to interact with stakeholders to genuinely fashion out a way forward by examining key highlights, fallouts and events that occured before the last general elections, the 2015 Kogi election and how we can do it better by learning from the past experiences.”

Nwabishi decried electoral violence associated with previous exercises, which gave a bad name to the state, urging the people of the state to change the trend.

She called on the stakeholders to treat the physically challenged and other vulnerable persons with dignity during voting.

She frowned at voter apathy, thuggery and snatching of election materials