2019: CSOs speak on INEC’s timetable, campaigns

Two Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Youth Initiative for Advocacy Growth and Advancement (YIAGA) Africa and Connected Development (CODE), have given insight on the low level of campaigns with less than 44 days to the 2019 general elections. In separate interviews, the Executive Director of YIAGA Africa, Mr. Samson Itodo, and the Chief Executive of CODE, Mr. […]

Two Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Youth Initiative for Advocacy Growth and Advancement (YIAGA) Africa and Connected Development (CODE), have given insight on the low level of campaigns with less than 44 days to the 2019 general elections.

In separate interviews, the Executive Director of YIAGA Africa, Mr. Samson Itodo, and the Chief Executive of CODE, Mr. Hamzat Lawal, were unanimous in expressing fear of vote buying as one of the major reasons why the parties were not engaged in vigorous campaigns.

Itodo said, “Firstly is the fact that elections timetable was released in a timely manner which gave political parties maximum time to prepare unlike the 2015 elections where elections timetable was released late and the fire brigade approach was adopted by all stakeholders.