Joe Effiong and Ekpedeme Essien, Uyo,
The Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), Akwa Ibom state branch, has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to address some of the lapses observed during the 2019 general elections.
The state secretary of the organisation, Mr Christopher Ekpo, who said this while addressing a press conference, explained
that “despite INEC’s success in conducting the 2019 elections, the exercise was still marred by voter-apathy and irregularities including votes buying, thuggery, ballot-box snatching and violence which must be tackled ahead of 2023 elections.”
Ekpo said that issues relating to vote-buying, electoral violence, insecurity, secrecy of the voting process and the use of smart card readers should be addressed in order to have free, fair and credible elections in the future.
He called on relevant stakeholders to work closely with the electoral umpire for the success of future elections.
“INEC should return to the drawing board and strategise with a view to addressing the lapses which came to the fore during the conduct of the 2019 general elections in the country so as to deliver free, fair and credible elections in Akwa Ibom State in future elections.
“Going forward, the critical stakeholders in the electoral process such as INEC, security agencies, political parties, civil society and the press, should close ranks and ensure that elections remain free, fair and credible.
“The political parties and the political elite, in particular, should see elections as a process to elect leaders by the people and not warfare.
“There should be a reform in the country’s electoral system to address these aforementioned observations and other shortcomings in our electoral system,” he said.