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As a way of integrating human rights into the 2023 electoral process, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Thursday, organised a strategic forum on integrating human rights into the 2023 general elections.
Speaking at the Forum, the Executive Secretary of the Commission, Chief Tony Ojukwu (SAN) said free and fair elections are key tenets of a democratic system of governance.
He said the right to participate in the governance process, including the right to vote and to stand for elections is central to a democracy and added that election is germain in the creation of an enabling environment for the fulfillment of human rights.
According to Ojukwu, the right to vote and be elected is interwoven with the enjoyment of a plethora of other key human rights which include the right to freedom of association, right to peaceful assembly, right to freedom of movement, to information, and the right to freedom of opinion and expression.
The NHRC boss remarked that the commission has been playing a fundamental role in advancing Nigeria’s democracy through the development of programmes aimed at integrating human rights into the electoral process and supporting democratic institutions and election management bodies to deliver on their mandates.
“The fulfillment and enjoyment of human rights are critical cannons of a properly functioning democratic system as a thriving democracy provides an enabling environment for human rights to thrive”, he said.
Ojukwu said the NHRC launched an election 2023 project called Mobilizing Voters for Election (MOVE) in October this year to promote voter participation and access in the electoral process through citizens’ education for PVC collection and voting, advocating human rights and issue-based campaigns for political parties and candidates, monitoring, countering and reporting the use of hate speech before, during and after the 2023 general elections and promoting oversight and accountability in the role of law enforcement in protecting voter access and participation at the election.
The strategic forum, he said is one of the steps the NHRC is taking to build partnerships, increase knowledge and mobilize stakeholders towards a human rights-centered approach to electoral participation and management.
In attendance at the program are representatives of political parties, government ministries and agencies, civil society, and the media.
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