By Raphael Ekpang
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has intensified efforts towards getting Nigeria citizens to embrace the electioneering processes and participate actively in the 2023 general elections.
Executive Secretary of the commission, Tony Ojukwu (SAN), OFR, while speaking at the one-day strategic forum on integrating human rights into the 2023 election held on Thursday in Abuja said the right to vote and participate in elections is key to a democracy.
According to him, “the Strategic Forum was organized by the commission to brief stakeholders on the mandate and election support programme of the National Human Rights Commission. Provide a platform for multi-stakeholders in the 2023 elections to have a shared understanding of human rights-based approaches to the 2023 elections.
“Foster partnerships for the integration of human rights into the 2023 election process. The 2023 election is a significant milestone in our journey towards consolidating our democracy,” he said.
He noted that, the 2023 general elections will be the first under the new Electoral Act with its unique amendments that include the deployment of new technologies during the voting process.
He also stated that, the election will also throw in new political leaderships at the national level and in more than 15 states.
Ojukwu insisted that the election comes at a time when Nigeria continues to face huge human rights challenges, ranging from insecurity to weak law enforcement, poverty and inequalities.
He therefore affirmed that the Commission is hopeful that the 2023 elections will be a coming-of-age for Nigeria as it emerges as a model for free, fair and credible elections in Africa and enthrone a government.
However, participants at the event agreed that there is need for early voting in Nigeria, adding that about five million Nigerians are been disenfranchised on every general elections because of election duty. Therefore, if those that would be on election duty are giving the opportunity to vote early before going to their respective beat, it will definitely increase citizens’ participation in the election.
The national chairman of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) professor Rufai Alkali urged the NHRC to also creat an opportunity to hear from the various political parties instead of allowing them to be mere participant of such laudable program gears towards enlightening the masses on the need to be active participants on the election. He also commended the commission for standing tall in their fight against violation of human rights in Nigeria.
In responding, the ES of the NHRC, Ojukwu said, the commission has various programs to carry out before the elections and part of it is to organize a program that only the political parties will take the center stage, as well as the security agencies and other stakeholders.
“The Stakeholders invited for this forum include representatives of Political Parties, government ministries and agencies, civil society and the media. This is a reflection of our vision to be a convening platform for multi-stakeholders’ interaction and building of consensus on the place of human rights in our democracy.
“At the end of this forum, all stakeholders would have become more aware of the crucial need for human rights in the electoral process as a pathway and also a milestone for the measurement of the success of an electoral process and our democracy at large,” Ojukwu concluded.
Earlier, Mr Hilary Ogbonna (Senior Human Rights Adviser of the NHRC) said the Commission is engaging in human rights campaign ahead of the 2023 general elections.
He noted that the commission was cting on the backdrop of voters apathy experienced in the previous elections in Nigeria, specifically the 2019 general elections where less than 10 percent of registered voters took part in the elections to ushered in the current leadership in the country, saying that they are working towards Promoting increase participation in the election.
He also said, the commission already campaigning for permanent voters’ card collection, Mobilising for voter’s right education and protection of the votes
