Bukola Afeni
The Nigeria Labour Congress said it will hold INEC directly responsible for all the anomalies associated with the 2023 election.
The NLC President Comrade Joe Ajaero, made the disclosure in a statement.
He said all eligible voters must be allowed to exercise their democratic rights to vote for the candidates of their choice.
“Anything short of this will be unacceptable to Nigerian workers.
INEC should immediately sit up and correct what is happening. Their monitoring mechanism must swing into action and correct what is already being observed to avert what we are already observing in the field.
“If INEC gets it right, Nigeria will get it right. This election offers us such
hope and INEC are at the centre of this hope”, he said.
NLC said Nigerians had hoped that voting materials would reach their destinations on time so that the various time frames would be strictly adhered to preventing the disenfranchisement of potential voters.
“We are worried about the reports of manifest incidences of violence in some
Polling units and areas where activities of thugs are pronounced even in the
presence of Security agencies. INEC ought to ensure that voters perform their
rights in secrecy to avoid exposing them to the violence that has been reported”, he added.
NLC said the sanctity of the ballot must be protected and this will not be the case if
the Police and INEC officials fail to perform their duties to Nigerians.
“Guidelines for Voting must be followed to protect the rights of voters at the
Polling units guarantee that their choices remain private. This builds
confidence and ensures a large turnout in the election.
“INEC must deal with voter suppression and Ballot Box snatching that is
going on in some parts of the country. If voters are beaten at the Polling
Units, the signal to other voters is to stay at home and not vote. This
disenfranchises and is undemocratic and thus unacceptable”, he said.