Group asks political parties to ensure free elections

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(Nigeria) The Stop Impunity Nigeria, SIN, a civil society group, has called on all registered political parties in Nigeria to ensure that the country witnesses free and fair elections during the 2015 general elections.
In separate letters to the chairmen of the 26 registered political parties, the campaign asked each of them “to make a commitment on behalf of your party to respect the laws of Nigeria relating to elections and the maintenance of public order, including relevant rules and regulations as well as the Code of Conduct for political parties which your party has subscribed to.”
Mr. Edetaen Ojo, a member of its Steering Committee and Executive Director of Media Rights Agenda, MRA, in a statement, noted that “impunity has clearly become Nigeria’s single biggest problem,” adding that “it provides cover for most of the other ills which plague the country and renders any intervention by governments, civil society organizations and other stakeholders ineffectual.”
The campaign said it was conscious of the fact that the fight against impunity in Nigeria must be a collective effort if it is to succeed and urged all political parties “to join us in this effort through their public commitments as well as their actions.”
Specifically, it asked each of the political parties for the following commitments, consistent with the Code of Conduct for political parties:
“That the party will not engage in any violent activity or intimidation of any kind and that it will publicly condemn any form of political violence or intimidation in all its ramifications, including any that may be committed by its members.
* That the party will refrain from any resort to the use of inflammatory, derogatory or insulting language, provocative actions, images or manifestation that incite violence, hatred, contempt or intimidation against any other party or candidate or any person or group of persons on grounds of ethnicity or gender or for any other reason and that your Party or its candidates will not issue any poster, pamphlet, leaflet or other publication that contain any such incitement.
* That your party or anybody or group of persons acting in its name will not obstruct, disrupt, break-up or in any way whatsoever interfere with a meeting, rally, march, demonstration or any campaign activity of any other political party and in addition, that your party or its members will not attempt to obstruct or prevent any person from participating in the activities of any other party.
* That wherever your party is in power, the party will separate party business from government business and that it will not use public resources of any description for any electioneering campaigns or any other Party business.
* That your party will instruct all its members and supporters not to bring arms or any object that can be used to cause injury to a political rally, meeting, march, demonstration or any other political function. Similarly, that your Party will instruct its members and supporters not to bring any weapon or object that can be used to cause injury to the polling station on election day.
* That your party will refrain from and condemn acts such as the snatching of ballot boxes or the use of thugs to intimidate voters on election days, including any such act by members of your party.
* That your party and its candidates will not prevent other parties or candidates from pasting their posters or distributing their leaflets, hand bills and other publicity materials in public place and that you will give firm directives to your members and supporters not to remove or destroy the posters and other campaign materials of other parties or candidates.
* That your party and its candidates will instruct their agents in polling stations to perform their duties in accordance with the electoral laws and regulations, and cooperate fully with the election officials for the efficient and uninterrupted conduct of the elections.
* That your party and its agent will not forcibly occupy or invade a polling station; encourage your supporters to engage in multiple voting; encourage your supporters to buy votes or offer any bribes or rewards, monetary or otherwise, to induce voters or electoral officials; or engage in any other form of cheating or acts constituting a malpractice under electoral laws and regulations.”

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