Terms of Service

1. Platform Ownership & Purpose

RatelsConnect (“the Platform”) is owned and operated by the Martins Vincent Otse Initiative (MVOI), a civic-focused non-governmental organisation. The Platform provides digital infrastructure for community engagement, public discourse, civic projects, elections, reporting, and transparency initiatives.

2. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using RatelsConnect, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be legally bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree, you must not access or use the Platform.

3. Accounts, Identity & Usernames

• Usernames are unique, permanent identifiers and are publicly visible.
• Users must provide accurate, truthful, and non-misleading information.
• Impersonation, identity misrepresentation, or deceptive affiliation is strictly prohibited.
• The Platform may require identity verification at any time.
• Where internal, public, or lawful verification establishes that a username, identity, or representation rightfully belongs to a publicly recognised individual, organisation, or legally authorised party, the Platform reserves the right to withdraw, reassign, or transfer such identifiers.
• Such enforcement actions may be taken with or without notice and without obligation to compensate the affected user.

4. User Conduct

Users agree not to:

• Publish false, misleading, defamatory, or harmful content.
• Harass, intimidate, or threaten other users.
• Manipulate elections, votes, or community processes.
• Use the Platform for unlawful or malicious activities.

5. Civic Participation Disclaimer

All elections, projects, and activities hosted on RatelsConnect are community-driven civic initiatives and do not represent official government elections, law enforcement actions, or legal processes. Participation is voluntary and at the user’s own risk.

6. Content Ownership & Licensing

Users retain ownership of content they submit. However, by submitting content, users grant the Platform a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to host, display, reproduce, and moderate such content for platform operations.

7. Moderation & Enforcement

The Platform reserves full discretion to investigate, moderate, restrict, suspend, permanently ban, delete, or modify any account, content, or identifier where fraud, impersonation, misrepresentation, abuse, or integrity violations are suspected or confirmed. Enforcement actions may occur with or without notice.

8. Suspension & Termination

Accounts may be suspended or terminated at any time for violations of these Terms, legal requirements, or integrity safeguards. The Platform is not liable for any loss resulting from suspension or termination.

9. Limitation of Liability

RatelsConnect is provided “as is” without warranties of any kind. The Platform shall not be liable for damages arising from user content, participation outcomes, or reliance on information published.

10. Indemnification

Users agree to indemnify and hold harmless Martins Vincent Otse Initiative from claims, damages, or liabilities arising from their use of the Platform or violation of these Terms.

11. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Where applicable, international legal principles may apply.