POLITICAL ENLIGHTENMENT PROGRAMS FOR 2023 NIGERIAN GENERAL ELECTION

To ensure massive and active participation of electorates in the 2023 Nigerian General election, JDPC Nsukka reeled out different pre-and post-election program activities geared towards raising people awareness on the need to vote and ensure their votes counted. Some of these program activities include the following:

• FACILITATION OF TOWN HALL MEETINGS BETWEEN POLITICAL ASPIRANTS AND THEIR ELECTORATES IN ALL THE 13 DEANERIES THAT CONSTITUTE NSUKKA DIOCESE.

Prior to the 2023 Nigerian General election, JDPC Nsukka engaged all the political aspirants within the diocese with their electorates for the manifesto presentations and question sessions from the electorates. The town hall meetings attracted the many political bigwigs from the Nsukka zone as they interfaced with their electorates in a robust issue-based debates with their opponents. The town hall meeting availed the electorates the opportunity of assessing the aspirants and this helped them to make informed decision on whom to vote for in the election. Electorates also used the opportunity to throw some difficult questions on their aspirants and request for their answers.

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  FACILITITON OF VOTER’S EDUCATION AND GENERAL POLITICAL ENLIGHTENMENT PROGRAMS FOR PARISHIONERS AND ELECTORATES

JDPC Nsukka’s Executive Director facilitating Voters Education for Electorates

JDPC Nsukka utilized the avenue of the Town Hall meetings between office holders and the prospective electorates to facilitate voters’ education. During these programs, participants were admonished to resist the temptation of both vote buying and vote selling which destroys the gains of democracy. Voters were also encouraged to ensure their votes counted before leaving the pooling units and to ensure to monitor the process and raise alarm at the pooling units if any process in bypassed. The electorates were further enlightened on the key gains of credible elections which key among them is that it controls every facet of the societal wellbeing and the need to get things right by sacrificing personal time and full commitment to see that the election was free, fair and credible. of and the need its voters’ education program into its

• TRAINING OF ELECTION OBSERVERS ON ELECTRONIC APPLICATION FOR 2023 ELECTION OBSERVATION REPORTING AND THEIR DEPLOYMENT IN ALL POOLING UNITS WITHIN NSUKKA DIOCESE

To ensure prompt and evidence-based election observation reports, Caritas Nigeria developed online application platform for election observation and trained all its JDPCs within the nation on the use of the electronic application. After receiving this training from Caritas Nigeria, JDPC Nsukka stepped down the training to all its animators, volunteers and interested parishioners who are ICT compliant and who indicated interest in the election observation work. After the training, the participants were then deployed to their respective pooling units and requested to send in their reports via the platforms. This move helped very immensely by highlighting many of the irregularities which played out during the election. Part of which include; vote buying and selling, campaigning at the pooling unit, use of thugs to create tension among electorates,