At the first National Peace-building Conference 2023, which the Institute for Crisis Resolution, Peace-building and Conciliation (ICRPC) organised, a retired army general and a former resident electoral commissioner (REC) urged the president and other political actors in the country to invite, encourage and accept open political processes, which are essential to democracy and governance.
Dr. Rabi'u Musa Kwankwaso, the presidential candidate for the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in the general election of 2023 and 11 other individuals received Peace Ambassador awards at the conference, which was held at the NOUN headquarters in Abuja.
Retired Major General Lawrence Onoja, who was the guest speaker at the event organised in partnership with NOUN, recounted how the Boko Haram insurgency in the north-east presented a severe security risk before the country's 2015 general election.
According to Onoja, the general election in 2023 faced a number of the same difficulties because of the nation's volatile sociopolitical climate in the years leading up to the vote.
The Civil War veteran emphasised the importance of choice as a key component of achieving people' constitutional rights, which, in his opinion, can only be achieved when relevant governmental institutions are enabled to work well.
The retired general asked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to 'maintain the good works he has started and also introduce palliatives to cushion the hardship in the country' as he urged the courts to deal with and settle matters relating to the 2023 elections.
Prof. Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, a second guest speaker and a former REC for Benue State, provided a thorough description of how elections are conducted in Benue State and the associated issues, describing how he was able to mitigate the difficulties of the 2015 general election in the 2023 elections.
