UN, ECOWAS Warn Nigeria Against Violence in 2023 General Elections
By Boniface Ihiasota, USA
The United Nations, UN, and the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, have issued a warning to Nigeria regarding potential violence in the upcoming general elections.
They emphasized the potential consequences for peace and stability in the region, and noted that other nations in the sub-region would not be able to accommodate refugees if violence were to occur.
The warning was given in Jos, during a training and engagement session with the Inter-Party Advisory Council and other stakeholders, in light of recent reports of election-related violence resulting in deaths and injuries, as well as attacks on offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Sa’adatu Sha’abu, representing United Nations Office for West Africa and Sahel, UNOWAS, highlighted the potential negative consequences for the region’s peace and stability if the elections were to go wrong.
Brown Odigie, ECOWAS Programme Officer for Mediation, called on all stakeholders to uphold the signed peace accord and electoral guidelines.
He also emphasized the potential for conflict to spread to neighboring countries in the event of violence, noting that no member of ECOWAS has the capacity to accommodate refugees from Nigeria.
Yusuf Dantalle, National Secretary of the Independent National Electoral Commission (IPAC), acknowledged the tendency for politicians to become desperate due to high election spending.
