By VICTOR ADEOTI
OSOGBO- A women group, Women Situation Room Nigeria (WSRN), says it will deploy 60 female observers to monitor the July 16 governorship election in the state.
Its Assistant Programme Manager, Jane Siesi, made this known at a day dialogue with stakeholders on Thursday in Osogbo.
Siesi said that Women Situation Room Nigeria (WSRN), in partnership with Women’s International League For Peace and Freedom (WILPF), would deploy the observers to all the 30 local government areas in the state.
She said that the female observers would monitor women participation on the election day and also check for any form of attack against women.
The assistant programme manager said that the observers would be deployed to all the 30 local government areas in the state.
Siesi said the consultative dialogue was to provide a platform for women’s groups to strategise, plan and respond to election-related issues in a coordinated manner.
“WSRN will be deploying 60 female observers for the election and they will be observing the election from gender perspective.
“The observer will check the level of women’s participation in the election process and also check, if there is any violence against women in the process,” she said.
Siesi also said that one of the objectives of the group was to establish a network of peace activist equipped with skills and knowledge to prevent and respond to electoral violence and emergencies before, during and after the elections.
She said that the group was also created for the understanding of the gendered and dynamic nature of violence and the fact “elections are conflict triggers in most African countries”.
Siesi, however, called for credible, free and acceptable election on July 16 in the state.
“We advocate peaceful and credible election. We don’t want any form of violence against women and violence in general,” she said.
Siesi, while appealing to women not to sell their votes, urged those who have yet to get the Permanent Voter Cards to do for them to exercise their civic right.
She also said that the group would open women situation room for the election between July 13 and 18 to monitor women’s participation and the election in general.
Siesi said that the group would also embark on a peace walk on Friday to sensitive women on the need to participate in the election.
She, however, called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies and other relevant stakeholders to ensure that the election was free and credible.
One of the participants, Mrs Rike Omisaki, commended the group for putting the programme in place for women.
Omisaki said the dialogue would go a long way in ensuring women participation in the election.(NAN)
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