CLEEN Foundation: Only 2 States, FCT Safe For 2023 Elections

By G9ija

The CLEEN Foundation has declared that only two states and the Federal Capital Territory are currently considered secure for the upcoming general elections in the country.

On Wednesday, the Executive Director of the CLEEN Foundation, Gad Peter, presented the “2023 Election Security Threat Assessment” in Abuja and revealed that Jigawa and Kano states, along with the Federal Capital Territory, are the only states deemed safe.

Gad Peter pointed out that 13 states were prone to violence and the remaining 21 states had isolated instances of violence in different areas.

The states identified as having a high likelihood of violence include: Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, Benue, Gombe, Bauchi, Plateau, Nasarawa, Taraba, Edo, Delta, Akwa Ibom, and Abia.

According to the Executive Director, the report was produced as the foundation commissioned researchers from across the six geopolitical regions to assess the security situation in relation to the elections and provide recommendations for a successful election process.

Peter said, “The frequent serious attacks on security agencies, installations and infrastructure in recent months are highly worrisome and condemnable. The pattern of recent attacks on security facilities and INEC infrastructure is suggestive that they are facilitated by criminals who are bent on pushing the country off the cliff.

“The law enforcement agencies need to take measures to prevent further attacks to boost the confidence of voters before, during and after the general elections.

“It is important to note that as recorded by INEC the recent voter registration has recorded the largest number of voters registered in the history of our elections and we are afraid that resources might be wasted if criminal attacks, threats and intimidation through violence and hate speeches lead to voter apathy.

Gad Peter stated that the foundation utilized the Election Violence Mitigation Tool of the Electoral Institute of INEC, which tracks potential risk factors that could negatively impact the peaceful conduct of elections in Nigeria. The tool was used to identify specific electoral risk factors unique to each geopolitical region.