A coalition of over 400 civil rights organisations under the aegis of Transition Monitoring Group on Tuesday said it would write the International Criminal Court in The Hague, The Netherlands and other organs of the United Nations to protest against the violence which characterised the elections in Kogi State.

While calling for a thorough investigation into the elections, the TMG stressed the need for an urgent national conversation and “a public hearing of a sort where Nigerians can voice their thoughts on the way forward on our elections in Nigeria.”

The organisation said its overall preliminary assessment showed that several of the old challenges that featured in previous elections were extant in the governorship and senatorial rerun elections held in Bayelsa and Kogi states.

The chairperson of TMG, Dr Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, in its statement on the November 16 governorship elections in Bayelsa and Kogi states, said the processes were marred by irregularities.

Akiyode-Afolabi said, “The situation during the elections in Kogi was worrisome, given the attendant frustration and fear unleashed on citizens who were faced with electoral intimidation, violence and killings as the case may be in the state.

“TMG will not hesitate to officially write the International Criminal Count and other relevant organs of the United Nations to weigh into the matter.

The lapses observed were not consistent with the dictates of the constitution and other extant laws that guide the conduct of elections in Nigeria. As such, we call for the immediate and outright cancellation of the elections in Kogi.

Meanwhile, a coalition of over 52 civil society groups accredited by INEC who observed the Kogi elections have said the elections were largely free, fair and credible in spite pocket of violence.

Comrade Peter Nwokolo of Citizens’ Right and Leadership Awareness Initiative, who read the press statement on behalf of the leaders of the groups, made the assertion at a press conference in Lokoja on Tuesday.

‘’The observed anomalies reported during the elections, including the incidents of thuggery and associated violence, were comparatively too few and ineffective to justify the calls from some quarters for total cancellation of the entire elections.

‘’The INEC is advised to ignore such calls as misguided,’’ he said.

Other representatives of the CSOs at the press conference who signed the press statement were Mr Obinna Nwaka of the Committee of Youth on Mobilization and Sensitisation, Mr Fidelis Nwoke of Africa for Millennium Change Initiative, Chinyere Manukwem of Centre for Positive Change and Civil Responsibility, among others.