COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT THE END OF ONE DAY MULTI-STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT ON INTEGRITY AND COMMUNITY OWNERSHIP IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION AT STATE LEVEL IN KOGI STATE TOWARDS THE NOVEMBER 11TH 2023 GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION FOR KOGI WEST SENATORIAL DISTRICT HELD AT CHARVID HOTELS, AIYETORO-GBEDE, IJUMU LGA, KOGI STATE. ON FRIDAY 18TH AUGUST, 2023. ORGANIZED BY CONSCIENCE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION (CHRCR) IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CIVIL SOCIETY LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY CENTRE (CISLAC)
INTRODUCTION
The Programme had in attendance Community based artisan groups, Women Groups, Religious and Youth Leaders, hunters associations, National union of Road Transport Workers, etc
The event featured presentations on Corruption, Integrity and Community ownership, Development of Community Scorecard and Questions and Answer sessions
*OBJECTIVES*
– To strengthen our community efforts at positive transformation, and make it possible for citizens to imbibe the core value of integrity in the fight against corruption
– To encourage citizens in putting the country above all else as it will diminish the need for corruption as a survival of the weak and control the power of the strong people.
– To open up an ongoing dialogue as to how to refine behavioural change and to bring out the best among citizens
*OBSERVATIONS:*
The following were observed:
1. There was still a gap in knowledge of citizens on who were their elected representatives at Ward, State, and Federal levels
2. There still exist a disconnect between the citizens and their political representatives
3. There were still concerns about the integrity of the 2020 Local government elections and its attendant effects on governance at State level as the results of that elections are still not known to the citizens.
4. Elected political actors do not make themselves available to citizens for engagement and this has implications for participation of the people at community levels
5. The upcoming 11th November 2023 campaigns have begun on primordial (ethnicity, religion, etc) sentiments rather than on issue-based.
6. That poor transparency in the internal democracies of political parties is a recurrent factor in the challenges of accountability and transparency in elections at state level.
7. That the fear of violence is still a major factor in the non-participation of citizens, especially vulnerable populations (PWD, Women, etc.), towards the November 11th 2023 Governorship election.
8. Fake news is a rising concern in effective engagement of citizens with the electoral process in the state
9. Despite the short time before the November 11th 2023 Governorship elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is yet to implement a robust engagement with citizens especially at the grassroot levels as many citizens do not fully understand how to engage the electoral process
10. Political parties and their candidates have no strategic campaign messages on Anti-Corruption meanwhile this has become a key challenge at state level in our electoral process.
*RECOMMENDATIONS:*
The meeting made the following recommendations:
1. There is need to improve the constant capacity and awareness of citizens on the roles and rights in the Accountability and Anti-Corruption issues in elections.
2. The Kogi State Independent Electoral Commission (KOSIEC) must immediately address the integrity issues associated with the conduct of the 2020 Local Government Elections especially as regards the results of the elections and put machinery in place for the conduct of the Local government elections whose current tenure will expire on the 14th of December 2023
3. Citizens must continue to hold elected political leaders accountable by insisting on the establishment of functional Constituency Offices where community engagements can be achieved.
4. There must be a concerted effort by the political actors to engage the citizens constantly and effectively on issues of Governance and their responsibilities
5. Elected representatives of the people, particularly Legislators at all levels must ensure that they have functional Constituency offices where citizens can access them.
6. The demand for issue-based election campaigns has always not been upheld by political parties and their candidates. To this end, they must ensure that citizens issues rather than any other sentiment is at the forefront of their campaigns
7. Citizen groups must be courageous and bold in demanding for accountability and transparency on elections at State level as this is their constitutional rights and responsibility
8. Security agencies must rise up and perform their statutory duties of protecting the lives and properties of citizens especially during the upcoming governorship elections, and maintain neutrality at all cost.
9. Citizens should not engage in spreading fake news and hate speech. While Government must take proactive measures to curb the ever-rising problem of fake news and hate speech. Perpetrators must be held accountable by the law to serve as deterrent.
10. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must live above board in the discharge of the statutory functions.
The Program concluded by emphasizing the effective way of achieving the task ahead through the instrumentality of ethics and Integrity in the fight against corruption and promoting accountability at state level. The participants appreciated *CHRCR* and *CISLAC* for their consistency in the crusade against corruption and accountability with the continued support of *John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation*
*Signed:*
___________________________
*Idris Miliki Abdul*
*Executive Director,*
*Conscience for Human Right and Conflict Resolution (CHRCR),*
*Lokoja, Kogi State*