By Sylvester Thompson
The Interfaith Dialogue Forum for Peace (IDFP) has called on stakeholders in the electoral process, including citizens to ensure peaceful, credible and transparent elections in 2023.
This is contained in a communiqué, read and issued by Sanni Kunle, Co-Chairman on Friday in Abuja by the forum after its two-day sensitisation and capacity strengthening workshop for religious leaders, civil society organisations and policymakers towards a peaceful general election.
The communiqué was jointly signed by Bishop Sunday Onuoha, Chairman of the IDFP, Alhaji Sanni Kunle, Co-Chairman and Sani Suleiman, President of the National Council of Muslim Youth Organisations.
Another signatory was Amb. Enwere Belusochukwu, National Chairman of the Youth Wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria.
The forum also called for effective collaboration among critical stakeholders before, during and after the elections with regard to planning, deployment, voter education, monitoring and information sharing.
They said there should be reduced incidences of electoral violence through full implementation of the Electoral Act and adequate deployment of security forces to identified vulnerable locations.
They urged security agencies to collaborate with other stakeholders in communities for intelligence gathering to strengthen rapid response mechanism and avoid breakdown of law and order.
The forum urged that funding should be improved just as timeliness and effectiveness of voter education and awareness for citizens, especially in the grassroots by INEC and other stakeholders.
“We enjoin religious leaders, traditional rulers and faith communities to live up to their responsibilities as custodians of community values and peaceful coexistence.
“We recommend that future Electoral Acts should be modified to consider giving Nigerians in the Diaspora the right to vote,’’ the communiqué read.
The forum appealed to INEC to ensure that every Nigerian who duly registered to vote received his/her voter’s cards in his/her respective polling units before the elections.
They also called on INEC to conduct adequate training on the use of BVAS by their personnel, including providing adequate internet facilities to ensure uninterrupted connection to the server.
“ Additionally, they should provide prompt alternatives to faulty BVAS where necessary,’’ they added.
The communiqué stated that the workshop was supported by King Abdullah bin Abdul-Azeez International Centre for Inter-religious and Inter-cultural Dialogue. (NAN)