By Stephen Adeleye.
The Centre for Advocacy of Justice and Rights (CAJR) in partnership with the International Foundation Electoral System (IFES), have embarked on street campaign to sensitise the people of Kogi on the need for peaceful election.
Miss Etty Peter, the Project Coordinator of CAJR, told newsmen at INEC office in Lokoja on Friday, that the campaign was part of their activities with other partners to show support for INEC towards the Nov. 16 governorship and National Assembly elections in Kogi.
The road walk tagged: ‘Street Campaign on Election Violence’, was organised by CAJR, in partnership with IFES, and supported by USAID and UKAID.
The campaign, which kicked off at Ganaja junction, terminated at the INEC state headquarters in the state capital.
Peter said that the road walk was aimed at sensitising the people of Kogi to say ‘no’ to election violence and ‘yes’ to peaceful elections.
“We are here to show INEC our support through the street campaign to ensure violence-free elections in Kogi before, during and after Nov. 16.
“We will continue to help you to see that your work is successful, come Nov.16; we will have elections free of violence in Kogi,” she said.
Peter noted that CAJR had engaged various stakeholders across the three senatorial districts of Kogi on the need to have elections devoid of violence.
Prof. James Apam, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the state, commended the organisations for the initiative and for having the interest of the state at heart.
Apam reaffirmed the commitment of INEC to conducting free, fair and credible governorship election in Kogi on Nov. 16.
“We really appreciate what you are doing; you are actually helping our work; we are determined to conducting free, fair and credible elections in Kogi.
“We only hope that all we are doing will pay off by the time we have the election,” he said.
Apam noted that elections in Kogi had not been very peaceful in the past, but urged the people to start turning a new leave and develop a new culture of having very peaceful election in the state.
He expressed optimism that a peaceful and violent-free election would become the new culture in the state henceforth, promising to build peoples’ confidence in INEC, for the benefits of all.
