Nigerians must learn to take elections as ‘ordinary civic responsibility’ —INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Thursday urged Nigerians to make elections a civic responsibility instead of taking part in violence and thuggery into the process.

The INEC National Commissioner in Charge of Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, made the call in a chat with journalists in Abuja.

Okoye said the position of the commission was that the conduct of election should be an ordinary civic responsibility where everyone would trust the process just like in order climes.

He added that in other countries even in Africa, safety and transportation of election materials did not generate concern.

According to him, results collated at registration units for transportation to mega collation centres were done without any fear of possible hijack.

The INEC official said: “However, in Nigeria the movement of materials from the central bank to the local governments and registration centres was always under heavy security and everything is conducted under a war-like situation.

“So, I think that we must find ways and means of making elections an ordinary civic responsibility, and not that the whole world would gather, getting the political parties to sign a peace accord that they are going to maintain the peace.

“We must make violence and violent conduct unattractive. People must be made to understand that there must be other ways of earning a living other than through violence.

“The political parties must also commit to the fact that people can only get to power through the votes of the people and through the sovereign power of the people expressed through their votes.’’

“The moment people get to power through other means, it becomes a coup d’état, because the constitution says that nobody, no individual, no institution, and no group is permitted to take over the reins of power in the country, other than through democratic means.’’