YIAGA Africa Faults Militarisation Of Ondo Election

… Advocates Electoral Offences Commission, Political Parties Regulatory Council 

By Philip Tayo

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The YIAGA Africa has faulted the militarisation of the Ondo State Governorship Election held on Saturday, 16th of November, 2024 and joined the advocacy call for the creation and establishments of the Electoral Offences Commission and Political Parties Regulatory Council to solve the miralds of problems militating against the conduct of a flawless election in the Country. 

A Non – Governmental Organization, the YIAGA Africa through its Chair of the 2024 Ondo Election Mission, Mr Ezenwa Nwagwu, made the above position known on Sunday at the Dejavu Hotel Alagbaka in Akure while addressing journalists on the Process and Results Statements on Ondo State Governorship Election held across the 18 local government areas of the State on Saturday.

Interacting with journalists after reading the post election statement, the vibrant civil society organization faulted and lamented the excessive militarisation of the election day with the presence of fiery looking military personnel who mounted road blocks in major junctions across the cities and towns in the State. 

The YIAGA Africa described the militarisation of the Ondo election as unnecessary, pointing out that election is a civil matter that should be devoid of much attention from the Country’s Military. 

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They explained that the Police is the lead security agency that should provide all the security required to maintain peace and order during the conduct of an election. 

They called for caution on the part of the Nigerian Military to limit itself within the context of the constitution that spelt out its roles and not usurp on the duties of the Police which focuses on civil authority. They stressed the need for Nigerians to join hands in checking the involvement of the military during elections. 

YIAGA Africa pointing out its concern, said, if the military is to be deployed, the heads of civil authority needs to be informed so as to keep the members of the public notified of the presence of the military staying close to polling units within the city areas. 

YIAGA Africa maintained that soldiers should not be found in the middle of the towns and cities. Rather, they are supposed to be at the boundary, and not within. 

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It used the opportunity to renew the calls for the establishment of the State Police. “It added that it was generally observed that some of the military officers deployed to Ondo for election are very young junior officers who are inexperienced”.

In her own response during the media interaction with journalists, the Director of Programs for YIAGA Africa, Cynthia Mbamalu, called for the need to unbundle the roles and duties of the Independent National Electoral Commission, due to recent complains from them that they are presently overburdened with a lot of responsibilities and too many roles.

Mbamalu in her submissions, expressed the readiness of the YIAGA Africa to join the calls and the advocacies on the need to create two new separate federal agencies namely the Electoral Offences Commission and the Political Parties Regulatory Council in the ongoing efforts to effect an electoral reform in the Country.

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