Yusuf Oketola
THE Civil Society Committee for Anti-Fraud Election Security (CISCAES) has said that it will expose anyone found culpable in an attempt to or commit electoral malpractices ahead of the July 16, 2022 governorship election in the State of Osun.Â
The convener of the group, Comrade Kennedy Iyere stated this on Monday while addressing newsmen shortly after a summit organised by the CISCAES to sensitise members of the public on election matters in Osogbo.Â
Iyere stressed that the summit was targeted towards ensuring that the governorship election is used as a yardstick for the 2023 general election and for other states.Â
He stated that the CSO would do everything in its capacity to expose those who want to meddle with the Osun election on the basis of godfatherism and press for sanctions against them from appropriate authorities.
Iyere said: “We hold this summit because we actually want to address some threats to having a credible electoral outcome in Osun come July. And having deliberated on this for having a credible election in Osun State as a reference case for a credible 2023 outcome, we have resolved on the following:
“That the challenge usually encountered in the use of bivas by INEC should be proactively addressed. We saw it happened in Anambra State where so many people were disenfranchised because of lack of functionality of bivas.
“Whatever problem that is wrong with the bivas as a technology or a technological device has to be fixed before the Ekiti election. Ekiti election is going to serve as the last point of reference in terms of testing the efficiency of the bivas. If it fails in Ekiti, we shall massively mobilise against INEC for that inefficiency.Â
“Also, vote buying, like we have heard reliably, is now criminalised, we want to push for purnitive measures being imposed on anyone that is indicted or convicted for perpetuating the crime or offence of vote buying at any venue of elections.
“The civil society will no longer tolerate such impunity where people will consciously violate the law and nothing will be done. That is how you know people are entrenched and if we don’t challenge the status quo, it will continue to persist.Â
“We have also resolved that godfatherism is a threat to the youth. It should be discouraged and those who would want to meddled with the Ekiti and Osun election on the basis of godfatherism, we shall do all that we have within us to expose them and be able to press for sanction against them from the appropriate quarters or channels.Â
Speaking at the event, the Chairman of Osun Civil Societies Coalition (OCSC) Comrade Waheed Lawal, noted that the problem of electoral fraud is designed by political leaders to continue manipulating elections in their favour.
Lawal decried lack of freedom by election observers and monitoring teams to move closer to INEC officials to see what is going on at polling unit by security agents, saying such is a challenge that must also be addressed.Â
He urged youth in the state to participate in politics and not to be used for election violence during the forthcoming governorship election.
