National Human Rights Commission has organized a town hall for the gubernatorial candidates of political parties in Bauchi State on human rights and the forthcoming 2023 elections.
The National Executive Secretary of the commission Chief Tony Ojukwu in his opening statement said the Commission has the mandate to protect and promote the human rights of every person in Nigeria in line with the human rights provided under the constitution.
Represented by the Senior Human Rights Adviser to the commission Hillary Ogbunnah, Chief Ojukwu said the commission also works with national and international partners to achieve its very important mandate, adding that free and fair elections are key tenets of a democratic system of governance.
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“Free and fair elections are key tenets of a democratic system of governance. The right to participate in the governance process, including voting and standing for election, is central to a democracy. Elections are germane in creating an enabling environment for the fulfilment of human rights.
He said the election should be a time of critical self-reflection in commitment to the social contract of democracy and achievement of human rights.
Ojukwu added that the commission and United Nations System as gatekeepers of human rights have decided to the human rights message to political parties and candidates contesting the Presidential and gubernatorial elections as the future leaders to discuss the place of human rights in a democracy and as a common standard of political commitment which every leader should sign onto.
He said Bauchi State is part of the 18 states the commission is holding the town hall for the guber candidates, noting that the event was a non-partisan one and there would be no endorsement of any candidate or evaluation of performance, but to develop a value system that places human rights as a key element in electoral process and democracy, hoping that the candidates would focus their campaigns on strategies to protect and fulfil the human rights.
Gubernotorial candidates present at the event were of People Redemption Party (PRP) Barrister Umar Faruk Ahmed and Amb. Khalid Arewa of Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
Gubernatorial candidates of the African Action Congress (AAC) and African Democratic Congress (ADC) were represented by their state party Chairmen Umar Abubakar and Hon. Hassan Haruna respectively.
The ruling People’s Democratic Party’s (PDP) candidate and the governor of the State Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed and his major challenger, Amb Air Marshall Sadique Baba Abubakar of the opposition All Progressive Congress (APC) were absent from the event.
Barrister Jibrin S. Jibrin Chairman Nigeria Bar Association and other leaders of the Civil Society Organisations in the state, Police and other groups graced the event.
