CLEEN Foundation has condemned the deployment of military personnel during the 2019 presidential and National Assembly elections conducted on the 23rd February.
The organisation dropped the hint in its post election statement on the 2019 presidential and National Assembly elections.
According to the report signed by the Executive Director of Cleen Foundation, Dr Benson Olugbuo the
Election Security Support Centre (ESSC) of CLEEN Foundation acknowledged that election remains a key requirement for social, political and economic development in Nigeria should be conducted in a peaceful and credible manner.
The Foundation which also affirmed the build up and preparedness towards the elections held on Saturday 23rdFebruary 2019 to have taken place in an atmosphere of widespread security concerns in most states of the Federation, said it has received with dismay the reports of incidents involving the military and political thugs in Rivers State.
Regretting that detachment of military personnel obstructed passage of electorates into their polling units, the statement noted that such action has continued to raise the debate on the deployment of the military during elections.
It further condemned the breach of security in some states especially in Rivers State, where political thugs chased away voters with gun shots and carted away electoral materials while National Youth Corps members were held hostage but later released.
“We urge INEC to do all within its powers to improve on the electoral process. Learning from the shortcomings of the Presidential and National Assembly elections held on Saturday 23rdFebruary 2019, INEC should ensure a better administration of the Gubernatorial and State Houses of Assembly elections slated for the 9th of March 2019”, the statement read in part.
The Foundation also called upon the security agencies to ensure the safety of all citizens as the electoral process advances to the critical stages of collation and announcement of results, while appealing to all citizens and politicians to remain law abiding and orderly throughout the electoral process
Cleen Foundation is a Non-Governnmental Organization designed and created to enhance citizen reporting of corruption in Nigeria. It promotes inclusive oversight of public and private institutions by members of the public, thereby engendering public accountability and transparency.
