To ensure a peaceful and credible governorship election in Edo State on September 21, the National Orientation Agency held a Stakeholders Forum in Benin City, urging all participants to play by the rules.
According to the state Director of NOA, Osahon Woghiren, “There must be focus on vote-selling and vote-buying, which he said are ‘trending vices in our polity. The National Orientation Agency says ‘No’ to this and we must all work to eliminate it.”
Woghiren emphasized the need to mobilize citizens for active participation in the electoral process, encouraging them to exercise their civic responsibilities and discouraging citizens from engaging in “violence, intimidation, voter apathy and harassment before, during and after the Governorship election.”
To foster citizens’ confidence in the electoral process and democratic system, Woghiren called on “traditional and religious leaders, youths, civil societies, market women, non-governmental organizations and others to ‘mobilize our people, as the quest for a free and credible election in Edo State is highly essential for a viable and stable polity.'”
He specifically cautioned youths not to allow themselves to be used by unpatriotic politicians to foment trouble or disrupt the elections.
The NOA Director General, Mallam Lanre Issa Onilu, represented by Ebeli Okonkwo, urged voters to come out and vote for their chosen candidate, assuring them of INEC’s commitment to a free and fair election. He also emphasized the importance of conducting oneself in an orderly manner, avoiding violence, fighting, or thuggery, and not engaging in ballot box snatching.
The event will be replicated in all 18 Local Government Areas of the state, where NOA field officers will mobilize citizens at the grassroots.
