Stakeholders in Anambra State have advocated a violence free election as the November 8 governorship poll in the state draws close.
During a three-day workshop organized by the Kukah Centre and the secretariat of National Peace Committee on Early Warning, EW, Signals on Violence and Early Response, ER, the various stakeholders harped on the need to detect signals which if not responded to can trigger violence during the election.
Participants at the workshop, including the media, heads of religious bodies, security, communities, civil society organizations among others, during discussions highlighted prevalent insecurity in some parts of the state and marshalled out ways early signs can be detected and curbed.
The participants noted that threats of secessionists and agitators in parts of the state cannot exactly be ignored as they have the tendency of causing disruption in the election if not responded to quickly.
Monitoring Evaluation and Learning officer of National Peace Committee, Obafemi Deborah at the event on Friday said the aim was to strengthen coordination, and build a truly inclusive multi-stakeholder framework for peace in Anambra State.
She said the workshop within the three days highlighted the goal of shared responsibility, to reduce the burden on one actor, while building a synergy of “one warning, many responses” option to promote transparency, accountability and enhance credibility of peace efforts in the elections.
Obafemi said, “Over the past three days, we have worked with community representatives across the 21 LGAs to build their capacity in identifying and reporting early warning signals of conflict and the Early Response Team, made up of stakeholders such as IPAC, security agencies, government agencies, traditional and religious leaders, CBOs and community led groups.
“This is because early warning without timely response cannot deliver the peace and stability we all seek. Together, we can transform early warning signals into meaningful action, build trust among our people, and safeguard the integrity of our democratic process.”
The Early Warning Early Response team in the state was inaugurated and the signing of commitment forms by the participants was also conducted.
The National Peace Committee, its secretariat, the Kukah Centre and their founder, the European Union expressed their commitment to a ensuring a violence-free election on November 8, while calling for proper conduct from all stakeholders involved in the election.
Prominent among those who participated in the event are representative of traditional institution, The traditional ruler of Umueri Kingdom, Igwe Sir Ben Emeka; representative of Civil Society Organisations, Mr Chris Azor, representative of government agencies, the Managing Director of Anambra State Civic and Social Reformation Office (ANCISRO), Mr Chuka Nnabuife among others.
