Uncertainties abound as the political climate continues to heat up preparatory to the 2019 general elections in Nigeria. Early warning signals are already visible in some states of the nation. For Instance, about 28 states recorded serious intra-party crises in the recent primaries conducted by the All Progressive Congress (APC). Furthermore, the activities of terrorist groups like Boko-Haram and Isis, Herders-Farmers crisis and killings across the country, ethno-religious conflicts, Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), secession agitations, inter/intra party conflicts further indicate the possibility of electoral violence towards the upcoming elections. Thus, the project consortium needs to engage, to ensure that these security issues are addressed before the 2019 general elections. The incident in River State where thugs invaded the court to disrupt instituted case against the All Progressives Congress (APC) is worrisome, and a trend that needs to be monitored closely as we count down to the 2019 general elections.
The European Union-Supported Project (EU-SDGN) on Mitigating Electoral Violence towards the 2019 General Elections in Nigeria aims to proactively implement interconnected activities that will mitigate security threats and electoral violence in Nigeria pre, during and post 2019 general elections, this is with a view to enhancing election security management in Nigeria and the electoral landscape in particular.
It is within this context that CLEEN Foundation, in collaboration with INEC, Nigeria Police Force, The Electoral Institute and Centre for Citizens with Disability, with support from the EU, proposes to hold a one day consortium meeting for the commencement of the project implementation plan. The consortium meeting will provide the needed opportunity for the Consortium to brainstorm, discuss the project, activities, implementation plan and collectively agree on the action-plan for the successful execution of the project. The activities to be discussed are as follows:
Harmonization of the Election Violence Mitigation Tool (EVMT) developed by CLEEN & the Electoral Institute (TEI), with the Election Risk Management (ERM) Tools of INEC; Resource of the Election Violence Mitigation Database
Mapping of Persons with Disabilities in Nigeria and their Special needs in the Electoral Process
Conduct of Nation-Wide Pre-Election Security Assessment
Campaign against Electoral Violence in Nigeria before, During and After the Elections
Specialized Training for Divisional Police Officers on Right Based Approach (RBA) on Election Security Management in Nigeria
Observation, Collation and Analysis of Information on the Conduct of Security Agencies in Elections
CLEEN Foundation extends invitation to her key implementing partners – EU, INEC, Nigeria Police Force, the Electoral Institute and Centre for Citizens with Disability; as well as other key stakeholders and institutions under the EU-SDGN project.
The provision for adequate security remains a critical factor that determines the success or otherwise of any electoral process. To that effect, security arrangements for the 2019 elections should involve extensive and meticulous strategy with a thorough assessment of the different security threats arising across the country. CLEEN foundation will be pleased to have her key stakeholders and strategic partners in the project attend the meeting.
The meeting holds on Thursday 24th May, 2018, at the CLEEN Foundation Headquarters located at 26 Bamenda Street Wuse Zone 3, Abuja; Time – 10:00am.
Signed
Dr. Benson Olugbuo
Executive Director