State2State: Akwa Ibom Stakeholders Highlight Gaps in 2023 General Election, Thumb Up Women Inclusion
By Ekemini Simon
Stakeholders across various sectors of Akwa Ibom State have highlighted gaps that could have been a recipe for violence in the 2023 general elections in Akwa Ibom State while also pointing out issues worth commendation.
The stakeholders drawn from government Ministries Department and Agencies (MDAs) of Education, Primary Health and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), the Centre for Alternative Dispute Resolution (CADR), youth and women organizations, Civil Society Organizations and the media in Akwa Ibom State made their observations known at the second edition of the Quarterly Conflict Prevention and Mitigation Dialogue of the United States Agency for International Development ( USAID) State Accountability, Transparency and Effectiveness, (State2State) Activity held in Uyo on Wednesday, March 29, 2023.
The stakeholders agreed that the gaps in the conduct of the general election ranged from cases of compromise by the electoral officers and security operatives to threats and high levels of vote buying. These they noted would have escalated to violence.
The stakeholders observed that there were inadequate preparations made for persons with disabilities to ease their participation in the election process.
The stakeholders also discussed the implications of electoral violence on services delivered to the citizens.
Despite the failings, the stakeholders acknowledged that women inclusion has improved resulting in a woman becoming the Deputy Governor-elect making it the second time Akwa Ibom State will have a female Deputy Governor.
The stakeholders further gave a thumbs up for the increase to four of women elected into the State Assembly as against two in the outgoing Assembly.
Earlier, in his welcome remarks, the State Team Lead (STL) of the Activity, Mr. Borve Paago-Imabel noted that the dialogue was designed in order to foster conflict mitigation around the 2023 general elections in Nigeria as issues would be reviewed vis-a-vis the things that went well and what did not.
He charged participants to also reflect on the positives of the elections, especially the heroes that were identified while also highlighting for future corrections the failings.