INEC’s Talks With Political Leaders Focus On Violence Free Electoral

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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has held a meeting with stakeholders in the political sector, focusing on the need to ensure that the 2015 general elections are free of violence.

At the meeting held in Abuja on Monday, some persons that spoke called for improved relationship between the youths and political elites in order to achieve violent free elections next year.

The meeting was organised by the INEC to address issues of electoral violence in Africa.

According to them, the Federal Government and the citizens must do everything possible to ensure that the 2015 general elections are free, fair and peaceful.

With just about three months to the general elections, the concern about how to conduct a peaceful elections has dominated several of such meetings organised by the INEC in recent times.

At the Monday’s meeting, youths became the centre of interest, as guests spoke on the need to ensure peaceful elections next year, even in the face of current security challenges and history of post election violence in Nigeria.

Present at the meeting were the chairman of the INEC, Atahiru Jega, Director General, National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism, Chika Balogun, Chairman Interparty Advisory Council of Nigeria Tanko Yunusa, Director African Leadership Centre, Funmi Olonisakin, Kings College University, London and Researcher, Youths Initiative For Advocacy, Growth and Advancement, Samson Itodo.

Beyond the apprehensions ahead of the 2015 elections, experts at the forum also made further recommendations on how to attain peaceful polls and also ensure that there would not be post elections violence as witnessed after the 2011 general elections.

Nigerians are hoping that the lessons learnt from past elections’ experiences and the recommendations from the forum would make next years elections better.