Imo guber: Promote peace, shun violence – NOA tells stakeholders

The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has asked for everyone’s help in promoting peace and backing the NOA’s objective to mobilise the electorate and guarantee free and fair elections in the upcoming off-season polls for the governorship of Imo State.

On Wednesday, in Owerri, the capital of Imo State, NOA Director-General Garba Abari made the appeal while kicking off the agency’s off-season governorship polls education campaign on the new Electoral Act, civic involvement, and peaceful election.

Despite Nigerians’ apparent excitement for the 2023 general election, Abari was worried about the relatively low voter participation.

The head of the NOA also stated that the amount of violence, manipulation, and desperation seen during elections has given democracy a poor name in general and that it is our responsibility as Nigerians to put an end to this.

Since the NOA needs to improve its infrastructure to reach all the waterways and communities that may have been cut off by the rains and floods, we find the Imo election very interesting.

Critics are already expecting a dangerous climate in Imo State. All parties involved in the upcoming election should make a pacifist pledge.

The media has a specific responsibility to prevent election-related instability and violence by preventing political players from utilising their platforms to advocate for these things.

To ensure that the upcoming election accurately reflects the will of the people, I would also like to take this occasion to urge our Community Orientation Officers (COMOS) to redouble their effort to bring voter education and sensitization programmes to the remotest section of the state. The democratic paradigm, which has been so successful in many nations, deserves the support of the people.

The Imo State Director of the agency, Mrs Maureen Oparaji, also spoke, and she echoed the sentiment that the goal of the meeting was to raise awareness and get people involved in the upcoming election.

Oparaji added that locals should help raise voter awareness so that the upcoming election is calm and fair. She said that reputable leaders are more likely to rise to power in the wake of calm and orderly elections.