PERUSE Newsletter November 11, 2022

Countdown to #NMCG2022!

Friday, November 11, 2022

“Democracy must be built through open societies that share information. When there is information, there is enlightenment. When there is debate, there are solutions. When there is no sharing of power, no rule of law, no accountability, there is abuse, corruption, subjugation and indignation.”

- Atifete Jahjaga

(First Female President of the Republic of Kosovo)

Dear Active Citizen,Enough is Enough Nigeria in partnership with Paradigm Initiative (PIN) and BudgIT is co-hosting the fifth edition of the bi-annual pan-African New Media, Citizens, and Governance Conference (NMCG) on Thursday, November 17th.The physical venue of the hybrid event is the Shehu Musa Yar’adua Centre, Abuja.Want to attend? Register for the conference here

Is Our Democracy Under Attack?

Yesterday, November 10th, two INEC offices were attacked and set ablaze in Ogun and Osun states by suspected hoodlums. Items reported to have been destroyed include 904 ballot boxes, 29 voting cubicles, 30 megaphones, 57 election bags, eight electric power generators and 65,699 uncollected Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs).

Recall that the INEC Chairman recently declared that over 20 of their offices were lost to the floods. Who is afraid of elections?

Who is Afraid of Debating?

The Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) of the Labour Party (LP) says Peter Obi, presidential the candidate of the party, will no longer attend debates where other candidates are not present especially his closest contenders, Atiku of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Bola Tinubu of the All Progressive Congress (APC).He said that the absence of presidential candidates in debates has become a growing trend in the 2023 electioneering campaign.

If you recall the town hall meeting organised by Arise TV on November 6th, of all the presidential candidates invited, only 3 were present at the debate; the candidates of Labour Party(LP), Mr. Peter Obi,  his counterpart from the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Sen. Rabiu Kwankwaso, the candidate of the People’s Redemption Party (PRP), Kola Abiola while the running mate of Atiku Abubakar, Mr Ifeanyi Okowa came to represent him. Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressive Congress (APC) was conspicuously absent.

If political candidates cannot defend their manifesto publicly, why should we vote for them?Remember President Buhari denied all campaign documents that were shared during the 2015 campaign!Hmm....Once bitten twice shy! We must not make the same mistake in 2023!

Nigerian Politics and the Floods

Despite historically difficult incidents, the recent case of flooding appears to be the worst the country has experienced in the last decade. For weeks, mostly south-south states have been impacted by widespread flooding prompted by extreme rainfall coupled with the release of water from the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon – an exercise expected to continue until 18 November 2022.

Active Citizen, if you wish to support people affected by the floods click here.

Opportunities!

WE ARE HIRING! 📢 📢Are you a good fit? Visit our website for more information.

Stay safe this weekend!The EiE Nigeria Team