With the climbing figures of #COVID19 cases in Edo state, the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has set up guidelines for the upcoming State and Local Government elections.
The centre advises political parties to be mindful of the fast spreading virus and the devastating effect on human heath.
During the 7th July briefing at the PTF on covid19, Director General of the NCDC, Chikwe Ihekweazu said that:
“Today we are announcing and launching a new guideline for the conduct of elections during the covid19 outbreak in Nigeria.
“Some States will be holding state and local government elections this year, being the first time we are holding elections of this significance during the pandemic.
“Therefore, we have developed this guideline to support everyone involved including parties, INEC, but most critically, Nigerians that will be going to vote in this difficult times.
“Voting still remains a civic responsibility and although we are in the middle of a pandemic, we have to find a way of doing this safely and we ave to adapt to the new normal.
“As we know, the virus thrives in mass gatherings, so there is a challenge we have in the way we have conducted our elections, pre-elections, during elections and post-elections. So, in doing this guideline, we try and offer advise on how to do this safely.
Ihehweazu added that: “We strongly encourage the use of television, radio, mobile vans, social media and other forms of communication as our politicians solicit votes.
“We advise careful adherence to mass gathering guidelines. Unfortunately, the virus doesn’t recognise whether we are conducting elections, religious gatherings or business settings – it just thrives when people come together.
“We have provided specific guidelines for these settings and we’ll explicit about it.
While issuing the NCDC guidelines ahead of the Edo State elections, NCDC boss urged “our political leaders to take responsibility and lead by example.
He advised that “Leadership will be critical in this era and we advise them to think of the lives of the electorate first. The electorate staying alive is much more important than the vote you can win.”