Women group advocates credible, peaceful election
By Ehigimetor Igbaugba
The Women Situation Room Nigeria (WSRN) has advocated peaceful and credible election as Nigeria gets set for another round of general elections.
The National Coordinator of WSRN, Prof. Joy Onyesoh, made the call in Calabar at the flag-off of a tour, expected to take the group to the six geo-political zones of Nigeria.
Onyesoh, who paid an advocacy visit to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and traditional rulers in Cross River, said the need for a peaceful election had become more paramount in Nigeria than ever.
At a meeting with Prof. Gabriel Yomere, the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Cross River, Onyesoh explained that WSRN was aiming to increase women’s participation in politics by monitoring the electoral processes.
According to her, WSRN will set up a situation room with hotlines for complaints to be directed to the body.
“The essence is to debunk rumours and to provide real time feedback to INEC on the electoral process.”
In his response, Yomere, who pledged to work with the WSRN to drive their collective goals, added that they were working to ensure the participation of women in the general election through the Gender Department of INEC.
He informed the WSRN team that INEC’s Liaison Officer for Voter’s Education would work closely with the State Coordinator of WSRN, Mfreke Asigbe, to achieve the aim.
He advised that the venue where the Situation Room would be hosted should be close to INEC’s office to ensure seamless communication between WSRN and INEC during the elections.
Similarly, Onyesoh took the advocacy to female traditional rulers in Adiabo, Efak Abasi Oku and Ikot Okon Abasi and Creek Town communities in the state, where they were told of the challenges women in the areas faced in collecting their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).
She assigned Ms Utibe Bassey, Project Officer of Women International League for Peace and Freedom, to carry out an online verification for women who had the challenge.
Onysoh also advised Bassey to contact the voter education officer of INEC in Cross River to address the challenges.
Earlier, the women traditional rulers had complained of the transportation crisis in the state, due to the scarcity of fuel and the limited number of PVCs collection centres in Calabar. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
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Edited by Idris Abdulrahman
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