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Group Plans Sly Election Monitoring in Nigeria
- By Williams Ekanem
- Published February 28th, 2011
- Washington File
- Unrated
Members of the Council for Youth Empowerment, a nongovernmental organization involved in pro-democracy and youth development are to surreptitiously video proceedings during the April 2011 general elections in Nigeria.
Co-founder of the group, Mr. Reno Omokri who disclosed this last week Tuesday in Washington D.C said over 200 members of the group will be scattered all round the country to get stealthily video details of events during the forth coming elections for firs hand assessment of the elections.
In his speech as a guest speaker at a public event on “Can Nigeria Hold Credible Elections “co-sponsored by the United States Institute of Peace and Africare,Omokri listed threats to the April general elections in Nigeria to include compromised officials of the electoral body, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), ethnic religious tension in the country as well as tension in the judiciary.
In his opening remarks at the function which attracted a number of Nigerians and foreign nationals, another guest speaker, Professor Peter Lewis said the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has incumbency advantage in the elections in which about 63 parties are participating.
According to Lewis who is an associate professor and director of African studies at John Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies the active involvement of inner circle activist whose interest is very far from national interest questions the credibility of the forth coming elections.
Giving a rundown of events that lead to the current state, he pointed out that most vocal opponents of the Jonathan / Sambo group have since gravitated to the group they were so strongly opposed to before and during the primaries.
Lewis is of the opinion that although early pronouncements by President Goodluck Jonathan on the need for credible elections, Jonathan’s candidacy in spite of the opposition has further raised questions on his intentions.
The John Hopkins professor listed the reinvigorated civil society groups in Nigeria, self-interested political actors and negative use of party machinery as factors that may impinge on the credibility of the elections.
Co-founder of the group, Mr. Reno Omokri who disclosed this last week Tuesday in Washington D.C said over 200 members of the group will be scattered all round the country to get stealthily video details of events during the forth coming elections for firs hand assessment of the elections.
In his speech as a guest speaker at a public event on “Can Nigeria Hold Credible Elections “co-sponsored by the United States Institute of Peace and Africare,Omokri listed threats to the April general elections in Nigeria to include compromised officials of the electoral body, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), ethnic religious tension in the country as well as tension in the judiciary.
In his opening remarks at the function which attracted a number of Nigerians and foreign nationals, another guest speaker, Professor Peter Lewis said the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has incumbency advantage in the elections in which about 63 parties are participating.
According to Lewis who is an associate professor and director of African studies at John Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies the active involvement of inner circle activist whose interest is very far from national interest questions the credibility of the forth coming elections.
Giving a rundown of events that lead to the current state, he pointed out that most vocal opponents of the Jonathan / Sambo group have since gravitated to the group they were so strongly opposed to before and during the primaries.
Lewis is of the opinion that although early pronouncements by President Goodluck Jonathan on the need for credible elections, Jonathan’s candidacy in spite of the opposition has further raised questions on his intentions.
The John Hopkins professor listed the reinvigorated civil society groups in Nigeria, self-interested political actors and negative use of party machinery as factors that may impinge on the credibility of the elections.
