By Ali Abare Abubakar
The Savannah Centre for Diplomacy and Development (SCDDD), in partnership with the Washington based Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), is set to organize a high level conference and private round table to deliberate on key issues relating to the 2015 general election.
In a statement issued yesterday in Abuja, signed by Amb. Abdullahi Omaki, executive director, SCDDD, the roundtable which is expected to commence today, with the theme: “Roles of state and Non-State Actors in Mitigating Violence in Nigeria’s 2015 Election”, is expected to support a fair, credible, violence-free election as well as provide a platform for civil-political discuss, collaboration and consensus-building in the pre and post electoral period.
“As Nigeria inches towards the 2015 national elections which by all indications, would be a highly contested exercise, a number of outstanding issues remain unresolved.
“These include, the potential implications of not holding elections in the States under Emergency Rule-(Adamawa, Borno and Yobe), safeguarding the voting rights of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) within the current legal regime, the negative attitudes of many politicians across the country, the perception of lack of neutrality of the Security agencies, especially the police and indeed some doubts being expressed in some quarters about the capacity of INEC to conduct free and fair elections in an atmosphere of transparency amidst the continuing difficulties in obtaining Permanent Voters Card (PVCs)” SCDDD stated.
The centre therefore noted that there is the need to “address not only the immediate challenges of the forthcoming national elections, but to also in a way that lays basis for dialogue, collaboration and consensus-building in the elections immediate aftermath and beyond.”
The conference which is expected to run for two days will have in attendance among other participants, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, Chairman SCDDD, Ms Jennifer Cooke, director of Africa Programmes of the CSIS, Professor Attahitu Jega, and INEC Chairman.
Others are; Chief John Odigie Oyegun, APC National Chairman , Alhaji Adamu Muazu, PDP National Chairman, and Mr. Yunusa Tanko, Chairman, Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC).
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