The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the United Nations have urged Nigeria to avoid violence during the upcoming general elections.
In addition to pointing out that no other nation in the sub-region could possibly accommodate Nigeria’s refugees, the two global bodies warned Nigerians of the consequences that would result from an outbreak of violence.
According to Daily Trust, the two bodies issued the warning in Jos, the capital of Plateau State, during an interactive mediation training with the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) and other stakeholders.
On non-violent elections in 2023, the report says that the stakeholders came from the North-Central and North-East.
SaharaReporters had reported that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was attacked and its offices were set on fire across the nation. Speaking at the session with IPAC, the United Nations Office for West Africa and Sahel (UNOWAS), represented by Sa’adatu Sha’abu, cautioned that should anything go wrong, the unimaginable consequences would be grave, and that everyone should play by the rules. The most recent example of this was the attack on the INEC office on Sunday in Enugu State, which resulted in the death of a policeman.
He asserts, “There will be negative consequences for the peace and stability of the entire region if things go wrong in Nigeria.”
Brown Odigie, ECOWAS Programme Officer for Mediation, offered guidance to all stakeholders regarding the peaceful conduct of the elections in 2023.
Abel Fatau, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace, and Security, on behalf of Odigie, urged candidates and their parties to adhere to the electoral guidelines and signed peace accord.
This is a type of mediation that is frequently used in countries in the ECOWAS region. We are doing it for Nigeria because it is an important ECOWAS member.
Nigeria has a lot of people. If the election is not handled well, it may result in conflict. Additionally, due to Nigeria’s large population, violence may spread to other neighboring nations. I can assure you that none of the ECOWAS members in the zone can accommodate Nigerian refugees.
Yusuf Dantalle, the National Secretary of IPAC, lamented in his response that election violence is the result of desperate politicians because of the large election expenditures.