2023 Elections: Support Peaceful Polls, US, UN tell Politicians, others
…say Nigerians Deserve A better Chance
….We Have Received A ‘Substantial Part’ Of Cash From CBN – INEC
…..Immigration Boss Idris Orders 24-Hour Border Closure
….We’ll Deal With Polls’ Interrupters, Security Agencies Warn
US President Joe Biden has called for peaceful and credible 2023 general elections in Nigeria, saying the citizens deserve a chance to do so.
Biden made the call on his official handle Thursday, calling on all candidates to respect the election results and back a peaceful transition.
US President Joe Biden has called for peaceful and credible 2023 general elections in Nigeria, saying the citizens deserve a chance to do so.
“All Nigerians deserve a chance to choose their new leader through a free, fair, transparent, and peaceful process,” he tweeted.
“As election day nears, I urge the political parties and candidates to live up to their pledge to respect the election results and support a peaceful transition.”
Biden’s message re-echoed the stance of diplomatic missions which released a joint statement earlier.
“We call on parties to respect electoral laws and institutions and take a firm stand against violence and hate speech by their supporters. We ask the security services in Nigeria to do their utmost to protect that process and prevent and deter attacks against INEC facilities, materials, and personnel,” they said.
While welcoming the signing of the second Peace Accord by the candidates of parties competing in the upcoming presidential election, the diplomatic missions said they are fully committed to supporting all efforts that will ensure the Nigerian people decide who wins the election.
They said it is vital for Nigeria’s stability and democratic consolidation that the process is conducted and concluded safely, fairly, and credibly.
We Have Received A ‘Substantial Part’ Of Cash From CBN – INEC
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it has taken possession of a “substantial part” of the cash it requested of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) amid the naira scarcity.
The INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, confirmed receipt of the funds on Thursday during a press conference in Abuja on the commission’s activities two days before the presidential and National Assembly polls.
This comes two weeks after Yakubu on February 7 met with the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, to address the need for cash for logistical operations in the conduct of the elections.
“The bulk of the small amount of cash that we have requested from the Central Bank of Nigeria is right now being released to the commission’s offices nationwide,” he said.
“In fact, a substantial part of it has already been received by our offices nationwide and this has greatly facilitated the movement of sensitive materials yesterday from the branches of the Central Bank to our local government areas.
“By tomorrow, we’ll batch them and then move them on Friday to the registration area centres. And then on Saturday early morning, they’ll be moved to the polling units for voting.”
Addressing security concerns surrounding the polls, Yakubu assured all stakeholders of a conducive environment for the electoral process to take place.
The INEC boss, in December 2022, noted that the commission had suffered 50 attacks in 15 states since 2019.
He however said the commission has bounced back and the security agencies are on the ground for the elections to provide adequate protection for voters, staff and observers.
“Several of the commission’s facilities were attacked by unknown assailants in various parts of the country.
“I am pleased that we have fully recovered from these attacks and we have been further assured that our facilities, staff, voters, observers, the media, and citizens will be safe during the election,” he said.
On vote-buying, Yakubu expressed conviction that INEC’s joint operations with other agencies before and on election day would “vastly reduce” the prospect of voter inducement which he described as not only illegal but also immoral.
“The ban on the use of mobile phones and photographic devices at the voting cubicles is still in force. Our arrangement of placing the ballot boxes near the voting cubicles and away from the party agents remains,” he said.
Border Closure
The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has ordered the closure of the country’s borders throughout Saturday for the presidential and National Assembly elections.
The Comptroller General, NIS, Isah Jere Idris, gave the directive to command comptrollers across the country in a circular made available to Salient Times on Thursday.
The circular titled ‘Border Closure for the 2023 Presidential and National Assembly Elections’ read: “The Federal Government has directed the total closure of all Land Borders effective from 00:00 hours on Saturday 25th February, 2023 to 00:00 hours Sunday, 26th February, 2023.
“Accordingly, all Command Comptrollers especially those in the Border States are to ensure strict enforcement of this directive.”
We are committed to Project Nigeria while ensuring that, within the parameters of the powers vested on us by the relevant laws, the coming elections are free, fair and devoid of anomalies.#NISDeyForYou🫶 pic.twitter.com/zzuHK8Q4jm
— Nigeria Immigration Service (@nigimmigration) February 23, 2023
We’ll Deal With Polls’ Interrupters, Security Agencies Warn
Ahead of Saturday’s presidential and national assembly elections, security agencies including the Armed Forces, Police, and the Department of State Services among others, have vowed to deal with anyone who attempts to subvert the general elections.
At a joint news conference in Abuja, the Director, Defence Information, Brigadier General Tukur Gusau, said security agencies are prepared to use strong force on anyone caught trying to subvert the general election.
He said security agencies are determined to ensure the conduct of peaceful general elections.
The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, added that the restriction of movement from midnight on Friday untill after the election on Saturday will be strictly enforced, as he warns non-voters to stay away from polling units.
Also speaking, the spokesperson of the DSS, Peter Afunanya, further added that the service remains committed to protecting the nation’s democracy as he lists the quantity of arms and ammunition recovered from bandits and political thugs ahead of the elections.
Gusau restated that elections will be held in all parts of the country. He urged Nigerians to discountenance threats from non-state actors as the southeast remains part of Nigeria, where elections will be held.
