By Bishop Aturu
The Transition Monitoring Group, TMG, has embarked on a sensitization and awareness rally to educate all Kogite, election stakeholders and players on the need to have credible and transparent elections.
With the theme: Come out and Vote: Your Vote Must Count, the state coordinator, Mrs. Remilekun Rachel Akande noted that the success from the last presidential and Senate elections can be built upon to have a more seamless and transparent election come the 18th of March, 2023.
According to her, peaceful and credible elections are essential for democracy to thrive. When elections are peaceful, free, and fair, it can help facilitate a smooth transfer of power from one administration to another and confer legitimacy on elected officials.
She added that the sensitization seeks to increase voter turnout and mobilize against hate speech, electoral violence, and vote buying.”
The message according to her also stressed that; TMG desires a peaceful election, PVC is your power for change, say no to political thuggery, don’t sell your vote, don’t snatch ballot boxes, shun political violence, vote not fight, election no is war, say no to fake news.
She asked the Independent National Electoral Commission and the Nigerian Police to be non-partisan in the discharge of their duties and promptly arrest and prosecute all election-related offenders irrespective of political affiliation, position, and social status.
The state coordinator further emphasized that there is no doubt that, the better the conduct and management of elections, the more the likelihood of improving the sphere of governance for addressing the fundamental needs and aspirations of the citizens.
She pleaded that “For us, Nigerians, all hands need to be on deck, to ensure that we have the best-conducted elections, in terms of their being free, fair, and credible, as well as peaceful, with good quality people elected into public offices in the legislative and executive arms of government at all levels/tiers of the Nigerian federation.
Mrs. Akande urged Kogite not to feel discouraged about the outcome of the last election, stressing that it’s their civil right to vote and to be voted for and also select their leaders through the process of voting with their PVCs.