From Okwe Obi, Abuja
Ahead of the February 12th, Federal Capital Territory Council poll, Coalition of Southern and Middle Belt Youth Leaders Assembly (COSMBYLA), on Sunday, encouraged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to conduct a transparent and credible election.
COSMBYLA Leader, Goodluck Ibem, in a statement, urged INEC to, also, sensitise Abuja electorate to come out in their numbers to elect their representatives.
Ibem, who doubles as the President General of Coalition of South East Youth Leaders (COSEYL), said, “The electoral empire is a body created by law to conduct credible elections and not a tool of the ruling party in power to rig or write election results in favour of the ruling party in power.
“INEC must remain impartial in the elections which is what it must be.
“INEC should give proper education and information to voters most especially those who are not literate to avoid mistakes by voters or thumbprinting void votes.
“Nigerians who are living within the FCT and are eligible to vote should come out enmasse to exercise their franchise without fear or favour which is their constitutional duty and right. The vote of every Nigerian citizen is his power and such power should be exercised wisely.
“We call on security agencies to ensure that INEC staffs and the electorates who will come out to vote are protected maximally by them. Stories of how an INEC staff was adopted and forced to write election results or declare a loser winner will not be entertained.
“The local government is the third tire of government created by law to bring government nearer to the people. It is at this level that the youths, women and men can directly benefit or have access to government.
“Any election malpractice at the local level is a direct attack on the people most especially the youths because they are always at the receiving end.
“This forthcoming local government election on Saturday in Abuja is a litmus test for the 2023 general elections. if there is form of irregularities of any kind which we the youth will resist, it then means there is no future in 2023.
“We call on the electorates to ensure that the stand put after voting and make sure that election results are declared at the various pulling centres and each party agents will collect their own copies of the result sheets and the people will escort the results to the final collection centres for onward declaration of the winners by INEC.
“We can only save our dear country by protecting our elections so that criminals and people of questionable characters do not emerge as political office holders.
“Posterity may not forgive us if we keep getting it wrong. We must get it right. On Saturday 12 February, 2022 is a date INEC must get it right by conducting credible elections while the electorate will vote candidates of their choice without any undue financial influence or inducement.
“When you are married to your mistakes, you keep giving birth to regrets. We cannot afford to make mistakes this time, we must get it right.
“We call on INEC to ensure that the right thing is done by conducting credible elections and we warn all those who are planning to rig the elections or disrupt the elections to stay clear or have the youths to contend with.
“We, therefore, call on the United Nations, the international community and lovers of democracy all over the world to deploy sufficient personnel to monitor the elections to ensure the electoral body and all parties involved play according to the lay down rules and world best democratic practice of a credible polls.”