The populace of troubled Birnin-Gwari in Birnin-Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State claimed they have begun contacting various terrorist organizations in preparation for the successful conduct of the election in the area in 2023.
Ishaq Kasai, the Chairman of the Birnin-Gwari Emirate Progressive Union, said in a statement on Saturday that the development was necessary in light of the current security challenges, in which more than 50,000 people were internally displaced by terrorists in the LG and about 100 communities were looted.
“2023 general elections: Only reaching out to terrorist organizations would allow successful elections in Birnin-Gwari,” the statement’s headline read.
He contends that negotiating a cease-fire with the local terror organizations will allow residents of 10 of the area’s 11 political wards to exercise their right to vote in the elections scheduled for next week.
The head of the BEPU emphasized that only local agreements with the terrorists could make it possible for the locals to take part in and cast a ballot in the next election in the LGA, which had over the years been devastated by the hoodlums’ operations.
In addition, Kasai applauded the Independent National Electoral Commission for moving some voting places from the occupied areas to various locations where the corresponding eligible voters had relocated and were now living as IDPs.
As national elections in 2023 draw near, he declared, “Our first priority is to ensure that all of our citizens, including internally displaced people, have the opportunity to exercise their right to vote at their designated alternative locations without being subjected to intimidation or fear.
“At this juncture, we would want to thank the Independent National Electoral Commission’s effort in moving some of the polling units from the areas that were overrun to various locations where the corresponding eligible voters relocated and are now staying as IDPs. In fact, this will give them a great deal of opportunities to use their franchise.
The second concern is how to make it easier for election officials and materials to be transported on election day to different local government units, particularly in regions with a high level of security concerns, such the eastern and western regions.
In Birnin-Gwari, there are 11 political wards, and 10 of them are experiencing security issues that, if proactive steps are not taken, may impede the election operations.
Nonetheless, he continued, “We are aware of the preparations being taken locally to handle these obstacles, particularly by perhaps making contact with the relevant terrorist groups in the most hostile areas to enable the effective conduct of the 2023 Elections in the area.
“It should be remembered that this similar strategy was effectively used during the recent census enumeration area demarcation, during which, with the bandits’ consent, all the regions were visited and defined by census employees.
“We therefore note that, based on experience, only local arrangements through diplomatic means, in the form of reaching out to these terrorist groups for diplomatic negotiation, could enable the 2023 Elections to successfully hold in about 10 political Wards with hundreds of Polling Units in Birnin-Gwari Local Government Area.
For the time being, one PU in the Gayam Ward of the LG has already been canceled by INEC due to security issues. This PU was just canceled by INEC in Nigeria along with 240 other PUs because of high-security threats.
In order to successfully conduct the general elections in the Birnin-Gwari Local Government Area in 2023, “We are recommending the Authorities to include important stakeholders, especially community leaders in all arrangements.”
