--VOWS TO INVESTIGATE PURVEYORS OF HATE SPEECH, DECRIES LOW TURNOUT IN GUBER/STATE ASSEMBLY POLLS
The National Human Rights Commission has expressed concern about the continued cases of political violence including attacks and snatching of ballot boxes in the Governorship and State Assembly elections, calling on the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to quickly rise to the occasion and ensure the arrest and prosecution of all verified cases so as to sanitize the electoral processes going forward.
Similarly, the Commission tasked the NPF to deploy human rights based approaches in managing cases of post-election violence and ensure the protection of lives and properties as Nigeria concludes the 2023 electoral cycle.
The Executive Secretary of the NHRC, Chief Tony Ojukwu OFR, SAN who stated this in the Commission’s Preliminary Statement of the 2023 Gubernatorial and State Assembly Elections charged all law enforcement and security agents in the remaining unconcluded ongoing elections to maintain political neutrality and impartiality in their election operations.
On the part of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Chief Human Rights Officer of Nigeria charged them to ensure transparency and integrity in the electoral processes while conducting future off-cycle elections.
Speaking on hate speech, the NHRC Boss assured Nigerians that individuals who got involved with hate speech to heat up the polity by raising ethnic or religious tension will soon be invited by the Commission’s Hate Speech Panel for investigation and other necessary action. “There were reports of hate speech in 7% of polling units covered by the NHRC across the country”, he added.
In the same vein, the learned Silk express worries about 192 incidents of vote buying in 14% of polling units in the Governorship and State Assembly election, clarifying that the Commission received reports of vote buying from Imo, Zamfara, Cross River and Kano states.
According to the Executive Secretary, the Managing Director of Kano line was allegedly arrested for vote buying at Masaka polling unit, Kofar-Mazugal ward, Dala-LGA, Kano state. “It has also been reported that operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and National Drug Law Enforcement Agency arrested vote buyers in Ogun and Kaduna states respectively”. he stated.
The Human Rights Advocate regretted the attack on journalists saying that the Commission received with great concern, the attack on the ARISE News crew at Elegushi Palace, and is calling on law enforcement to investigate this and other incidents of violence and bring perpetrators to book.
Besides, the legal luminary confirmed that the Commission has received reports of the killing of thugs in Lagos, Katsina and Benue states, as well as the killing of Labour Party agents in Lagos. “Elections are not war and no life should be lost in the process of elections”, Ojukwu cautioned.
Commenting on vote suppression, the Executive Secretary disclosed, “Our monitors reported that there were incidents of voter suppression in 11% of areas monitored and 32 polling units did not have results corresponding with the number of accredited voters”.
This he noted “suggests that there may have been cases of voter suppression or other irregularities in these units and we will investigate these incidents further to ensure that voters’ rights are protected”.
“In Lagos, there were reports of disenfranchisement of voters based on ethnic grounds and perceived opposite political persuasion and this has become a worrisome trend which should be checked” Ojukwu stated.
In similar manner, he condemned attacks on INEC officials and violence at polling units, saying there were reports from Rivers state of hoodlums attacking the INEC officials and stealing the BVAS device and election materials.
“There were also reported cases of abduction of INEC officials in Isu LGA Of Imo state and attack on INEC officials in Odoakpu ward 7, Onitsha in Anambra state”, he said.
Also of concern to the Commission, the Executive Secretary said were reports of attacks on polling units from Lagos, Rivers, Nasarawa and Enugu states. Similar incidents, he noted, also took place in Rogo ward of Sabo Gari LGA of Kano state which led to the death of one person.
Besides, the Executive Secretary said the Commission also received reports of disruption of election in Ogbia constituency 2 in Ogbia LGA of Bayelsa state, which resulted in no elections in (4) four wards and 94 polling units, and a report of ballot box snatching in Enugu East LGA of Enugu state.
Lastly, he said that compared to the Presidential and National Assembly elections of February, the Governorship and State Assembly elections witnessed a low voter turnout.
In states like Niger, Kwara, Benue and Kogi, the turnout was abysmally low and in almost all the Southeastern states, low turnout was recorded.
“It is important to note that the NHRC in its monthly review forum on human rights and 2023 elections has warned that the consequences of the hitches and irregularities recorded in the Presidential election were capable of increasing voter apathy”, Ojukwu recalled.
He said that it is also important to note that threats of violence prior to the elections may also have played a major role in the low turnout of voters during the election,
