Stakeholders deal with INEC over absence at ICPC election monitoring coaching
By Isaac Aregbesola
Participants on the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, (ICPC) capability coaching for National Anti-Corruption Coalition (NACC) members on election monitoring have expressed disappointment over the absence of INEC on the programme.
The coaching, organised by the ICPC, was aimed toward equipping NACC members with abilities for efficient election monitoring to make sure credible polls.
Mr Idris Abu, a member of NACC and the Executive Director of the Organisation of People’s Voice, stated this in a press release on Sunday in Abuja.
According to him, the programme is aimed toward higher equipping NACC members for efficient election monitoring forward of the 2027 basic elections.
”It targeted on two key areas: learn how to entry grants to maintain grassroots anti-corruption advocacy, and learn how to higher ship the message of the fee to bizarre Nigerians on the grassroots.
”INEC as election umpire is a key stakeholder in such essential engagement, its absence was not simply disappointing however a transparent signal that the electoral physique shouldn’t be critical about transparency and credible elections in 2027.
“How can ICPC be organising a programme to prepare civil society to monitor elections and INEC, the main actor, is absent? It shows lack of respect for stakeholders.
”If INEC can’t be current at a preparatory assembly now, how will they cooperate with observers in the course of the basic elections.”
He famous that NACC members throughout the nation have been able to take the anti-corruption and electoral integrity message to the grassroots.
He, nevertheless, stated that the members wanted collaboration from INEC, particularly on voter training, entry to data, and monitoring of vote-buying, which ICPC is focusing on.
He referred to as on INEC management to take its stakeholder engagement critically and cease working in isolation.
He warned that with out synergy between ICPC, NACC and INEC, efforts to curb electoral corruption and grant manipulation on the grassroots in 2027 would possibly fail.
Also talking, Mr Jare Tiamiyu, one other NACC’s member from Osun, stated he was equally upset that INEC didn’t honour an invite from a constitutionally recognised sister company just like the ICPC.
“If ICPC, a constitutionally recognised agency, is inviting INEC and INEC is not responding, how do you think that any group or agency will invite INEC and they will respond?
”Openness is essential. We don’t have to attend till we have now disaster earlier than responding,” Tiamiyu stated.
Also Mr Felix Ojo, a member of NACC and a journalist, stated absence of INEC and its consultant at such important engagement spoke volumes.
He urged the election umpire to offer precedence to conferences and engagements that would improve election’s integrity.
When contacted, the Director of Public Enlightenment and Education, ICPC, Mr Demola Bakare, stated the fee collaborated with competent companions, key amongst them was INEC, to coach stakeholders on credible election.
“Regrettably, we invited INEC but INEC they were not represented. All efforts to bring them into the programme till the last minutes failed.
”I despatched out a deputy director to steer a crew to persuade INEC to come back or ship representatives right here. We did that on two or three events however they refused to honour our invitation,” he stated.
He defined that, whereas ICPC has monitored elections up to now, it needed to formalise the method in order that its officers might be deployed alongside NACC members to look at elections collectively.
“They won’t say no for ICPC to monitor election, it is official, we have done it in the past. We want to formalise it so that we can go along with it.
”For instance within the states, we deploy our officers with NACC members to look at the election collectively. That was what we wish to negotiate with INEC however sadly they didn’t come,” Bakare added.
Responding, a senior officer within the INEC Chairman’s workplace, who wouldn’t wish to be quoted, refuted the declare that the fee intentionally absented itself from the programme.
The officer stated that INEC presently had sequence of engagements because it ready for the 2027 basic elections and wouldn’t have intentionally ignored ICPC’s invitation.
”The fee holds the ICPC in very excessive regard as a important stakeholder within the struggle towards electoral corruption, significantly vote-buying and different electoral offences.
”The collaboration between INEC and ICPC through the years has been cordial, productive and mutually useful to our shared mandate of delivering credible elections.
”At no time did INEC decline to collaborate with ICPC on election monitoring. On the opposite, INEC has at all times welcomed election remark and monitoring by ICPC, NACC and different credible our bodies, consistent with extant legal guidelines and tips.
”The fee’s report of accrediting observers, together with ICPC officers, in earlier elections bears testimony to this openness.”
Edited by Chioma Ugboma
