The Coalition of Civil Society Workers and Human Rights Defenders, a non governmental organisation in Enugu, Nigeria, has urged every person of voting age to get their PVC and ensure they vote during the 2023 elections and resist every monitory inducements and intimidations during elections.
The President and convener of the Coalition, Osmond Ugwu made the call in Enugu at a press briefing.
The Group also appreciated the interest being exhibited by the electorates in trying to get their permanent voters card, PVC.
The Coalition also called on Nigerians to rise to the challenge of ending electoral manipulations and merchandising of elective offices by politicians and the exclusion of credible persons from contesting elective offices through high cost of expression of interest forms.
“To this end, we call on the electorates not to vote anyone that uses money to buy his or her so called victory during primaries for President, governors or representatives at the state and National Assembly levels and at same time, vote out political parties that rise their expression of interest/nomination forms beyond the reach of civil servants and lecturers who wishes to contest for offices of the President, governor, National and state Assembly and local government chairman,” Ugwu said.
In a bid to eliminate corruption and corrupt practices, the Coalition urged the electorates to start now to inquire into the antecedents of every Presidential and gubernatorial candidates and those if state and National Assembly while ensuring that those whom their source of wealth originated from government or those with undefined source of wealth are not voted for.
“We urge all and sundry to join the crusade of holding elected and appointed officials accountable anywhere they serve to ensure that they actions are in line with justice, due process and the rule of law.
“We particularly call on civil society organizations and the masses to start now to demand to know how much are being received by local, state, and federal government and how the monies are being used and by who”. Ugwu stated.
The non governmental organization also called on the youth, men and women of good conscience to stop feeling unconcerned on the way they are being ruled and how the resources of the people were being used, while calling for a total review of all state electoral laws to be in line with the national electoral laws.
The Coalition however demanded for the unconditional release of all political detainees and engage them on constructive discus.
“We call for the full scale probe on the activities of the immediate past Chief Justice of Nigeria and urge all concerned Nigerians to rise against the water bill pending before the National Assembly“. Ugwu stated.
N.O
