Many stakeholders have called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to learn from recent experience and improve on subsequent elections, especially the forthcoming gubernatorial election in the country.
They said this recently at a multi stakeholders forum on peaceful election organized by Community Initiative for Enhanced Peace And Development (CiEpD) with support from foundation for Partnership in the Niger Delta (PIND) in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
Some of the stakeholders also urged the Commission to ensure election results are transmitted electronically.
In a release made available to newsmen at the meeting, CIEPD thanked Nigerians for coming out en masse to express their civic duties during the election.
The group said, “despite the mixed feelings and emotions that are expressed, we call on Nigerians especially the good people of Rivers State, to remain calm and peaceful at this critical time.
“It is expedient that we eschew violence and by no means take laws into our hands. We need to build a peaceful and prosperous Rivers State/Nigeria”.
Also speaking, representative of foundation for PIND, Chief Constance Meju, said the event was to galvanize the people of the Niger Delta with the view to ensuring peaceful and credible elections in the region.
In their separate remarks, the Rivers State Police Command and Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corp (NSCDC) promised to mobilize their personal with a view to ensuring peace during the election.
Meanwhile, the Executive Director of PIND, Mrs Egondu Ogbalor, has called on the people of the Niger Delta to avoid violence during the elections in the state.
The programme has as its theme, “Community Stakeholders Network Capacity Building Conflict Management and Analysis, Advocacy, Community Mobilisation and Election Violence Mitigation”.
The Executive Director said the programme is for stakeholders from some flash point local Government Areas of Rivers State.
She said the participants are to watch out for early signs of conflicts in the affected Local Government Areas and report to the appropriate authorities.
Egondu listed the affected local Government Areas as Akuku Toru, Tai, Port Harcourt City, Obio /Akpor, Asari Toru, Ikwerre, and Eleme Local Government Areas.
According to her, “we are working on elections, we are also warning. We have a platform where people report conflicts”.
Egondu said the group is presently focusing on the seven affected Local Government Areas, saying, “in this program we have respondents who respond to conflicts and early warning to save lives”.
She listed some of the causes of conflicts during elections to include hijack of ballot boxes, violence during campaign rallies and shooting during campaign rallies.
Also speaking, a member of the institute of Human Rights And Humanitarian Law, Mr Courage Nsirimovu, said the training will enable the trainees to identify early warning and signs of conflicts.
“The essence of the training is basically to reduce conflicts.There is a concept that is called early warning and early response and that is what we intended to use.
“We received information from our field officers during the election and we transmit it to the relevant stakeholder either INEC the police, civil society organisation or people of influence and that is the platform we want to use, he said.
Also speaking, Mrs Rose Chuka said the program is all about curbing violence during the election.
According to her, “the programme is all about training on electoral violence and what to do before election”.
On his part another participant, Dr Prince Eze, said the program was to build their capacity with a view to checking violence during elections.
“Basically this training will ensure that the election is credible. It also helps to ensure that there will be no electoral violence or conflicts”, he said.