WANEP deploys 114
WANEP deploys 114 observers, develops App for Nigeria’s
elections
Ahead of Nigeria’s presidential election, the West Africa
Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP), a leading peace and security
organisation, said it has deployed 114 observer to all the 109
senatorial districts across the country.
The co-Chair of WANEP’s Nigerian elections observer group,
Barrister Aisha Ado Abdullahi, added that 37 personnel comprising
data collectors, analysts, communication experts and eminent
persons will be stationed in their situation room to properly
monitor and analyze the unfolding events from the elections.
Barr. Aisha stated this at the organisation’s maiden election
press conference in Abuja, where she said WANEP has established and
operated Election Monitoring, Analysis and Mitigation (E-MAM)
across W/Africa as part of its support to ECOWAS and AU efforts in
ensuring the credibility and peaceful conduct of elections in
W/Africa.
“The ESR is part of a broader programme launched in October 2018
in Abuja in collaboration with ECOWAS and the AU. The focus of the
ESR is to observe threats to the peaceful conduct of the
electioneering process and provide strategic responses to support
the prevention and mitigation of election related violence during
the Presidential and National Assembly elections of 16 th February
2019. WANEP joins other accredited domestic and international
observers to contribute to credible, free and fair elections across
the 36 states of Nigeria and the FCT. Meanwhile, our ESR comprises
of the Data Gathering, Analysis, Decision and Communication Room,”
she said.
To facilitate their observation, Aisha Abdullahi, said WANEP
collaborated with the ECOWAS Early Warning Directorate (EWD) to
develop a user-friendly Arc GIS online application platform to
generate data from the field observers to the Situation Room in
Abuja.
Her words: “It is a live platform designed to enable
triangulation of reports for analysis and to inform engagement with
national and international stakeholders. It also enhances WANEP’s
strategic contribution to its partners such as ECOWAS, the AU,
United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) and
other stakeholders. Additional information will be uploaded through
dedicated WhatsApp platforms and the telephone communications from
the ESR to the observers in the field.”
On his part, Prof. Isaac Albert, co-Chair, commended INEC, the
security agencies and all other stakeholders for their efforts in
preparing for the elections, advising the political parties and
electorate to conduct themselves peacefully before, during and
after the elections.
By PRNigeria