Stakeholders renew commitment to peaceful Anambra guber poll

Stakeholders in Nigeria’s democratic process have renewed commitment to ensuring a peaceful governorship election in Anambra State.

Choice reports noted that the stakeholders made the pledge at a dialogue organised by the Nigeria Situation Room, a coalition of more than 100 civil society organisations, on Tuesday in Abuja.

They said they would achieve the commitment through collaboration among civil society groups, security agencies, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Convener of the group, Mr Yunusa Ya’u, said the meeting aimed to “build a common understanding of the situation in the state and generate ideas on how elections can be conducted that would be free, fair, and acceptable to citizens”.

Ya’u expressed optimism that ongoing engagements among stakeholders would yield positive outcomes.

Nigeria Situation Room is a coalition of civil society organisations dedicated to improving Nigeria’s electoral process.

“I don’t have fears; I have hopes. In the last few months, civil society organisations, security agencies, and INEC have been campaigning for peaceful elections.

“People in Anambra now understand that peace is crucial, you can’t have credible elections in a context of violence,” he said.

He added that security operatives have laid groundwork to guarantee a secure atmosphere for voters.

“A lot of preparation and commitment have gone into ensuring that citizens can come out freely to vote without intimidation.

“While we can’t be 100 per cent sure that violence won’t occur, we are confident that our collective efforts will deliver a free and peaceful election,”

Ya’u said ongoing engagements with the National Assembly committees on electoral matters “are set to achieve a repeal and re-enactment of a new electoral act to strengthen Nigeria’s democratic framework.

“There is no shortage of commitment in civil society to support electoral reforms and better elections for Nigeria.

“We all recognise that the 2027 elections is crucial, and we are determined to contribute ideas and solutions that will move the process forward,” he said.