Civil Society  Condemns Conduct Of  Party Primaries In Nigeria 

… Wants Media Searchlight Beamed On Process

By Philip Tayo

A Chieftain of the Centre for Democracy and Development,CDD, Mrs Seyi Awojolugbe, has said the Ondo State gubernatorial election is the last staggered election to be conducted by the Independent National Election Commission, INEC, this year.

The CDD Chief who made the remark at a briefing in Akure, the Ondo State capital on Friday at the FFA Resort Centre cautioned against what could cause security threats which are inimical to the conduct of a free and fair election in the State. 

Mrs Awojolugbe underscored identity as a vital factor in shaping elections. “As with many parts of the country,identity remains a major factor in shaping elections”. She maintained.

She further pointed out that insecurity could equally engender voter apathy which is dangerous to democracy adding that efforts must be geared towards ensuring that citizens are sensitized ahead of the election. 

To Dr Dauda Garuba, insecurity is a threat that should not be ignored. He pointed out that the general peace atmosphere leading to the election was in Ondo State was due to the uncompetitive nature of the election.

Another speaker, Professor Adele Jinadu urged the presidency to take proactive measures in tackling insecurity in the country. He challenged security agencies not to relent in the execution of their duties and ensure that those who run foul of smooth conduct of the election are brought to book.

Professor Jinadu also believed that the press needs to take more proactive roles. He noted that the media have reduced the issue of money to just vote buying and vote selling.

The don observed that there have been inflow of money from outside the country to influence the politics and elections in the country. According to him, party primaries are in a shambles and charades. He lamented why nobody is talking about it. 

It was their consensus voter apathy to is a serious issue that must be addressed to avoid low turnout during electoral processes. They bemoaned why turnout continues to go down during elections. But gave an assurance that effort has been made to address the issue of low turnout. 

On another score, they stated that vote-buying is another aspect that complicates electoral process, identifying increase in purchase of votes through money and other food items which should be seriously be addressed.