AHEAD of the Governorship and State House of Assembly elections, Save Democracy Women, a coalition of Pro-Democracy women group has appealed to the Federal Government not to involved the military in the elections.

The women made the call on Wednesday during a peaceful protest to INEC Headquarters, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the UN Women office in Abuja.

The protesting women had placard with inscriptions that read: “INEC stop mortgaging the future of our children’’; “Nigerian women say No to Killings’’; “Save Our Democracy; “Nepotism Must Stop’’; Stop Using Military to Rig Elections’’, among others.

Miss May Nbeku, the Convener of Impact Future Nigeria (IFN), who spoke on behalf of the group, alleged that the just concluded Presidential and National Assembly elections held on Feb. 23 witnessed some forms of intimidations and suppression of voters by the military.

According to her, the elections witnessed a proliferation of state sponsored violent attacks on citizens and called on the Federal Government and the electoral empire not to allow this to repeat itself in the March 9 elections.

“In comparison to the 2015 elections, these acts, alongside the arrest and incarceration of leading opposition figures and state sponsored killing of innocent citizens necessitates this correspondence because our democracy is under threat.

“Facts abound that the elections itself was heralded by acts of violence, arson, harassments, intimidation and vandalism with prevalence on the destruction of electoral materials.

“More sinister and gruesome was the murder of Mrs Ibisaki Amachree, a mother of two young children and a 19-year-old university student, Daniel Usman, who was a first time voter.

“What rational explanation that the APC led federal government offers law abiding Nigerians in Kwara, Akwa Ibom or Edo states, who came out in their number to perform a civic obligation, considering the illegal use of military force to propagate electoral malpractice and intimidate citizenry,’’ she said.

Nbeku however called on international community to intervene in Nigeria’s situation and save the country’s democracy.

Responding to the protest at the INEC office where the women submitted a letter of their complaint, Mr Kelechi Mmaduneme, Assistant Director of Safety told the protesting women that their complaint would be looked into and act would be taken.

Mr Lambert Oparah, the Director, Corporate Affairs and External Linkages Department, NHRC and Ms Comfort Lamptey, UN Women Representative to Nigeria also promised to forward the grievances of the protest group to the right quarters. (NAN)

– Mar. 6, 2019 @ 17:59 GMT |