By Adedapo Adesanya
The Committee for the Protection of Peoples Mandate (CPPM), Centre for 21st Century Issues (C21ST), and Campaign for Dignity in Governance have jointly tasked Nigerians to go out and vote peacefully and orderly in the 2023 general elections on Saturday, February 25.
In a statement made available to Business Post on Wednesday, the coalition urged Nigerians to vote for candidates of their choice to consolidate democracy for the continued progress and prosperity of Nigeria.
Signed by Mr Nelson Ekujumi for CPPM, MrsTitilope Akosa for C21ST, and Mr Razaq Olokoba for Campaign for Dignity in Governance, the message tasked that amid the current hardships experienced in the country, Nigerians must remain brave and carry out their civic responsibilities.
The message read, “As Nigerians and the global community await the conduct and outcomes of the 2023 Presidential/National Assembly and Governorship/State Houses of Assembly Elections scheduled for Saturday 25th of February 2023 and Saturday 11th March 2023 respectively, the aforementioned civil society organizations urge eligible Nigerians to participate fully in the exercise in a peaceful and orderly manner.”
“Our appeal to Nigerians is predicated on our responsibility as societal watchdogs and democrats desirous of deepening democracy through advocacy for the active participation of citizens in the electoral process.
“We are not unaware of the excruciating pains and discomfort occasioned by the implementation of the Naira redesign policy, but call on Nigerians not to despair or be weary but to remain calm and peaceful with abiding faith in democracy. We encourage Nigerians to be hopeful that there is indeed light at the end of the tunnel.
“We urge Nigerians to continue to persevere and not pander to the antics of undemocratic elements whose motive is to take advantage of the prevailing situation to lure citizens to violence which could truncate the democratic process. We earnestly admonish Nigerians to be committed to sustaining the momentum of democratic participation for the collective good of the society, no matter the provocation.
“We are hereby using this medium to appeal to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to ameliorate the sufferings of the people in line with Mr President’s directive by making the various denominations of the new naira notes adequate and available at the commercial banks and other cash dispensing outlets to ease the untold pains and anguish which individuals and businesses have been subjected in the last couple of weeks.
“We must warn that the hardship occasioned by the prevailing cash crunch should not be allowed to undermine the successful conduct of the 2023 general elections.
“Notwithstanding, considering that Nigeria operates a constitutional democracy which makes the Rule of Law Supreme, we fully align with the February 8, 2023, and February 15, 2023 rulings of the Supreme Court, which extended the validity of the old N200, N500 and N1000 naira notes as legal tender till the next adjourned date of 22nd February 2023.
“We demand that the Federal Government and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) immediately comply with the ruling of the Supreme Court in the interest of peace and observance of the Rule of Law, which is sacrosanct in a democracy.
We commend the Federal Government and the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) for the gradual restoration of normalcy in the distribution chain of petroleum products, which has manifested in the reduction of queues at petrol stations across the country.
“While we recognize the huge gaps in compliance on the sale of petrol at official pump prices across the country, we call on NNPCL to ensure strict compliance with official pump prices and to put an end to the queues at filling stations ahead of the polls and beyond.”
It also tasked the electoral body to ensure that it does all that was necessary and continue its track record that was witnessed last year in Ekiti and Osun states.
“We call on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to remain resolute, focused and committed to conducting free, fair, and credible polls in line with the capacity already demonstrated in the conduct of recent off-season elections in Ekiti and Osun states.
“We recognize that anti-democratic elements are not relenting in their campaign of blackmail and calumny against the Electoral Body. But we are confident that the 2023 General Election will be credible and successful.
“We also wish to encourage security agencies to be professional and unbiased in the discharge of their functions as critical stakeholders in the electoral process. We admonish security agencies to raise the bar of professionalism and dedication to duty to arrest any threat to the peaceful and successful conduct of the 2023 general elections.”
“However, we must warn that anti-democratic elements hell-bent on undermining the successful conduct of the elections and public peace through fake news incitement of violence before, during and after the election are on the prowl and must be met with the full weight of the law. It has therefore become imperative to bring to the attention of security agencies’ plots to incite violence on Election Day, as witnessed during the 2020 EndSARS protests.
“We appeal to the media as partners in progress to be professional and objective in their coverage and reportage for a successful and credible 2023 general elections.
“We call on the observers, both local and international, to maintain a high degree of neutrality and professionalism in the exercise of their functions in line with their oath and global best practices.
“We, once again, call on all eligible voters to come out en masse to vote and remain calm, orderly and peaceful before, during, and after the elections.”
