From Noah Ocheni, Lokoja
The Resident Electoral Commissioner of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Kogi State, Dr Gabriel Haley Longpet, said, the November governorship election in the state would be a battle of the ballots, and not the battle of guns.
Dr Longpet made the assertion in Lokoja on Monday when the executives of a non- governmental organization in the state, Kogi Peace and Security Network (KOPSEN), paid him an advocacy visit on Monday.
He pointed out that Kogi state has had a bad reputation in election conduct in the past which according to him was always characterised with violence and a case of do or die but “I don’t want that to happen under my watch this time around”.
Longpet noted that, “Any political party irrespective of its size or popularity, has a right to campaign for votes anywhere as long as they notify relevant security agencies, and We should try to disabuse the minds of the people on what Kogi has been known for when it comes to election,” he said.
The REC who expressed readiness of the INEC to partner with KOPSEN to achieve a violence free election in the state expressed delight with the organizational objectives of the group which he described as a worthy partner in the promotion of the ideals of democracy and peaceful election in the state.
Dr. Longpet enjoined KOPSEN as a grassroots organisation to educate people towards correcting the misconceptions about INEC and to Shun rumours, stressing
the need for people to always seek clarification about the activities of INEC in the state before going to social media.
Earlier, the state Coordinator of KOPSEN, Mr. Ben Joshua said the organisation visited the REC to seek collaboration with INEC towards a peaceful Governorship election in Kogi state in November this year.
The group, according to him is a non-political, non-religious, and nonprofit network of social change agents in the state, partners with key stakeholders to implement its core mandate of identifying communities and settlements prone to crises, disputes, and violence.
Comrade Joshua who commended staff and management of INEC for their role in ensuring that democracy and democratic processes are sustained in Kogi State and Nigeria at large, however,
Pointed out that the expectation of the citizenry is high with regards to how INEC will deliver her mandate in the forth-coming Kogi gubernatorial election on November 11, 2023.
The NGO said the electoral body has a big role to play in ensuring good conduct of the political actors and hence, the collaboration of INEC and the civil society organizations in the state are critical in promoting peace during and after elections.
“Recall that recent elections in Kogi State have been characterized by violence, crises, killings, and destruction of lives and property stressing that INEC should collaborate with relevant institutions to embark on grassroots sensitization for peaceful campaigns ahead of the upcoming election,” the group said.
