Dignitaries across the country converged on Abuja Friday to discuss and proffer way forward on critical knotty issues as the country prepares for the 2023 elections.
Speaking at the 11th and 2022 Edition of TCWNNI annual lecture in Abuja with the theme; ‘2023 General Election Critical Success Agents’, the former Minister of Information and former Presidential Aspirant of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prof. Jerry Gana, said the only antidote to good election, is to have an independent umpire.
Gana who is the Chairman of the occasion noted that the electoral commission must be independent and not ruled and governed by anybody, saying only that could guarantee a free, fair and credible poll come 2023.
On the issue of PVC and eligible voters, Gana added: “If you are here and you don’t have your PVC, you are not a change agent.
“We must also have good voter education with the media and INEC playing critical roles.
“The formal process of collation, electronic transmission of results is also very key and must be looked into.”
In his presentation at the occasion, the Convener, The Change We Need Nigeria Initiative, Dr. Cosmas Ilechukwu, cautioned that elections were not inherently a source of violence, but can exacerbate political, ethnic, regional and religious tensions and spill into violence if not managed well.
Proffering way forward, Ilechukwu who is the General Overseer of the Charismatic Renewal Ministries Inc. and National Secretary, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) further warned that the success of the coming election will depend on some critical agents like the electorate, INEC, security agents, political parties and their candidates, the electoral tribunals and courts, the federal government, the media and civil organizations, and ultimately God.
In a brief remark, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mike Ozekhome, advocated that development can only be achieved in a peaceful atmosphere.
The learned silk then singled out President Goodluck Jonathan for his stance towards ensuring that peace reigned after the 2015 poll, saying he deserved all the accolades.