2023: CSOs Inaugurate Election Situation Room In Kano

Organization for Community Civic Engagement (OCCEN) in collaboration with Kano Civil Society Forum (KCSF) have Inaugurated Kano Civil Society Situation Room for Nigeria 2023 general elections.

The Executive Director of OCCEN, Abdulrazak Alkali said, who is a co-convener of the inauguration ceremony said the idea for establishing the state elections situation room is to ensure prompt responses to possible challenges and threats before, during and after the 2023 general elections.

He said, similar effort was made during the last local government election in Kano and had yielded positive results, which prompted the formation of the situation room for the forthcoming election.

Alkali further stated that, though there is National Situation Room, but CSOs in Kano denned it fit to set it up in Kano in view of its importance in the politics of the country.

He called on Economic and financial crimes Commission (EFCC) to put mechanism for checking the issue of vote buying by politicians, promising to be organizing periodic meetings with INEC and other stakeholders on election issues as the need arise.

On his part, convener of the Kano Civil society Forum, Ibrahim Waiya said, the Situation Room model, by contrast, ”provides a platform for rapid and timely response.”

He said it is designed to ensure that beyond observation, civil society is able to play a greater role in crisis management, early warning and constructive engagement of the process to ensure a credible election.

”The Election Situation Room shall have the following representatives stakeholders groups and organizations as members: Police, DSS, INEC, National Human Right Commission, EFCC, Media, Civil Society, IPAC, Hisbah, NOA, Civil Defence, Military, Traditional Institution among others.

“The essence of the Situation Room, is to tactically maximize the access for information gathering and provide a unified platform for analysis and intervention by the concerned authorities proactively,” he explained.

He added that “The Kano Civil Society Forum (KCSF), is the key umbrella body of Civil Society Organizations in Kano State, associating under a common platform with the aim of achieving human rights protection and promotion, promotion of democracy, good governance, Anti-corruption

“Transparency and accountable Governance, health, peace, justice and sustainable development in the State and Nigeria at large.

”Kano Civil Society Forum (KCSF) the umbrella body of over 100 Civil Society organizations operating in Kano State, has as part of its continuous interventions and advocacy for best Democratic practices is in partnership with Organization for Community Civic Engagement (OCCEN) with support from National Endowment for Democracy (NED) Washington D.C organizing today’ s event to launch and inaugurate the establishment of the Kano State Civil Society Election Situation Room,” Waiya said.