The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has urged political parties to create enabling atmosphere for a free, fair, credible and conclusive election in Ondo State.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the governorship election in the state is scheduled for Oct. 10.
Mrs Antonia Okoosi-Simbine, National Commissioner/Chairperson, Election and Party Monitoring Committee, INEC, gave the advice in Akure on Friday.
It was during an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), a workshop for registered political parties in the forthcoming governorship election.
Okoosi-Simbine explained that political parties played key roles by ensuring that their members were of good conduct during and after elections to prevent an inconclusive election due to violence or other vices.
According to her, parties should play very important roles in peacebuilding architecture which is key to promoting desired peace that engenders the protection of lives and property in the electoral process.
“As key actors in dispute resolution, you will learn that conflicts arising from the competitive processes in all stages of the electoral cycle are anticipated, and can be skillfully managed.
“This is necessary in order to avoid the undesirable effects of escalation leading to inability to file nominations or do so on time, cancellation of elections/loss of victory, etc.
“In other words, ADR affords you the opportunity and capacity to effectively and quickly address electoral disputes before, during and after elections without compromising the rights of parties and those of their members who want to go to court,” she said.
Earlier, Mr Hamza Fassi-Fihri, Project Coordinator, European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES), said the political parties, as primary actors, were better placed to promote ADR on intra and inter-party issues.
Fassi-Fihri, who explained that conflicts and disputes were inherent in elections because of its competitive nature, said that ADR could save the electoral process the inconvenience of recurring litigations.
“While the courts and tribunals offer a more formal platform for adjudication of election complaints, ADR provides a more efficient, cost-effective and mutually satisfying avenue for resolution of election cases.
“The pattern and frequency of the disputes have profound implications not only for the smoothness of electoral operations but also for acceptability of its outcomes,” he said.
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Source: www.vanguardngr.com
