By NewsBits
Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to fund thier election monitoring activities during election in Nigeria. The CSOs gave the advice during the INEC quarterly Consultation meeting with the CSOs in Enugu on Wednesday.
The Chairperson, Enugu Civil Society Network, Mr Emma Acha, said that CSOs in other countries were sponsored by their government, adding that the case of Nigeria was different. Acha urged INEC to start making use of logistic companies in terms of transportation because those companies were likely not having any affiliation with any political party.
Mrs Amaka Nweke, Country Director, Global Society for Anti- Corruption, said that some of the CSOs did not have opportunity to get fund elsewhere, adding that funding the group would help to strengthen the election process. The Executive Director, Hope Giver Initiative, Mrs Onyeka Udegbunam, said that it was the responsibility of the Federal Government to fund CSOs and not the duty of INEC.
Udegbunam said that to avoid challenges associated with the election process, there must be the will power by the INEC. She said: “INEC must have the will power to implement all the reports presented to it as regards what the CSOs observed and reported to it during the elections.”
Mr Obinna Nebo, Executive Director, New Century Initiative, said that INEC had the capacity to empower the CSOs. Nebo urged the commission to improve on its publicity on accessibility of voters cards so as to avoid challenges in transfer of people’s voters card.
The Chairman, Enugu State Joint National Association of Persons with Disability, Mr Onyebuchi Mba, urged INEC to include those with disability in its election process. Mba said that most of the promises made to them were yet to be seen practically, urging the commission to bring in online voting process for the fear of insecurity.
Mrs Virginia Obianyo, Program Officer, Civil Resource Development Documentation Centre, called on INEC to ensure that its staff comply with the election guidelines and electoral laws. Obianyo urged INEC to fund its staff to go to their communities during August meeting for sensitisation so as to gain back the people’s confidence.
Responding, the INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr Chukwuemeka Chukwu, said that the purpose of the meeting was to identify some of the areas of challenges as regards the election. Chukwu said that the issue of logistics was not from INEC, adding that transportation was one of the challenges.
According to him, the best option is to work with the National Union of Road Transport workers because of numerous polling units in the 17 Local Government Areas of the state. He said it was not the INEC’s responsibility to sponsor CSOs because it was a voluntary activities of individuals.
He explained that before the election, INEC handled a programme, which was on access to polling units and people who applied for transfer of their voters cards got their cards before the election. He added that political parties primaries were political parties affairs, noting that it was the INEC duty as an organisation that conducts election to check weather they were doing it according to the law.
