As 2023 election draws near, Alliances for Africa (AFA) has urged security agencies to ensure that there’s safe environment for the vulnerable groups to participate in the electoral process.
Speaking when Alliances for Africa in collaboration with INEC engaged members of the security agencies under the aegis of Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) in a round table discussion on ways of promoting a safe environment that will support the full participation of vulnerable groups: women, people living with disabilities and the aged, in the 2023 electoral process in Imo State, the Public Relations Officer of INEC, Chinenye Chijioke-Osuji, highlighted some of the causes of electoral violence which included poverty, unemployment, unethical media reporting among other things.
According to her, these factors have an enormous implication on election outcome.
To curb electoral violence, participants agreed that there is need for a reorientation of the mindset of citizens, need to lower the poverty level, need to embrace technology to reduce human interference, and need for more sensitization and voter education a across board for an inclusive electoral process.
In her remarks, Blessing Duru of Alliances for Africa noted that there was need to promote a safe environment that will support the full participation of the vulnerable groups in the 2023 electoral process in Imo State.
In her contribution, Lilian Ibeh urged the security agencies to take the message down the line for comprehensive understanding of the fact that the vulnerable groups need to feel safe to participate in the electoral process especially as the elections draw closer while applauding them for coming, with the hope that according to her, the meeting will bear fruits at the end of the day.
