Lukman Abdulmalik
The Kano Civil Society Forum, (KCSF) has introduced its 2023 Elections Situation Room to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The event which took place on Monday at the Kano state Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office gathered some members of Civil Society Organizations and the Media.
The Kano State Civil Society Elections Situation Room is a platform designed for sharing information amongst civil society groups and other stakeholders in relation to the happenings on the conduct of the 2023 general elections across the 44 Local Government Areas of the state.
Amb. Ibrahim Waiya, convener of the situation room narrated that the initiative was realized with the support of Community Civic Engagement (OCCEN) and National Endowment for Democracy (NED) Washington D.C. adding that the formal inauguration of the platform was performed on the 17th of Dec. 2022 at Tahir Guest Palace, Kano.
“The initiative was to create a new model for civil society engagement in all matters relating to the upcoming general elections, in relation to the engagement of citizens participation in the elections process in Kano State.
“The Kano Civil Society Election Situation Room was established to facilitate and enhance coordination between all relevant stakeholders in election management of the state, to ensure that civil society advocacy efforts towards the conduct of free, credible, transparent and fair elections are coordinated and effectively achieved.”
Waiya disclosed that the Elections Situation Room has the following members of some selected civil society organizations, which include the Nigeria Police, National Human Rights Commission, Economic and Financial Crime Commission, Nigerian Army, State Security Services, National Broadcasting Commission, Nigeria Union of Journalist, Inter-Party Advisory Council, National Orientation Agency and Independent National Electoral Commission.
The INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in Kano, Ambassador Zango Abdul assured that the election will be free, fair, and credible without any form of interference.
“Our logistics are up and doing and over 70 percent of our non-sensitive materials are on the ground and also over 60 percent of our sensitive materials are on the ground.
He assured that all election materials will be distributed to their location on time before the commencement of the election.
“Our Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) is fantastic and we are good to go.”
