IBUKUNOLUWA KING-OKUNEYE
Election observers for the Osun gubernatorial poll slated for Saturday, July 16, have been urged not to jeopardise the electoral process by providing fake reports from polling units they will be assigned to monitor.
This appeal formed part of the message Faith Nwadishi, the Executive Director of the Center for Transparency Advocacy (CTA), gave at a training session for election observers in Osogbo on Thursday.
Nwadishi stressed that observers should not be biased, and that any observer with an affiliation to political parties could not be objective, but would make reports in favour of the party they belonged to.
She highlighted that the role of election observers could not be overstated, as they worked with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure that free, fair and credible elections are held.
“Observers’ reports have helped INEC to improve on the electoral process by giving them information on areas they can work on, so giving a factual report is very essential”, she said.
Nwadishi, while advising the electorates not to sell their votes in the coming election, stressed that the act would affect the outcome of the election.
She warned them not to collect any form of gifts from community leaders or politicians.
“Be diligent in doing your work as an observer, don’t interfere with the election officer’s work, and lastly, give an unbiased report,” she said.
