The European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) in Nigeria says it observed some shortcomings during Saturday’s general election, in spite of Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) efforts to make the process hitch-free for Nigerians.
This is contained in the first preliminary report on the election presented on Monday in Abuja by Barry Andrews, the Chief Observer of the EU Election Observation Mission.
A part of the report’s summary reads, “On 25 February, Nigerians went to the polls in highly anticipated presidential and National Assembly elections that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) kept on schedule despite a volatile and challenging environment. Fundamental freedoms of assembly and movement were largely respected, yet the full enjoyment of the latter was impeded by insufficient planning, insecurity and the prevailing Naira and fuel shortages. Abuse of incumbency by various political office holders distorted the playing field and there were widespread allegations of vote buying.”
“INEC’s operational capacity was hampered by the ongoing fuel and naira shortage. Insecurity prevented it from accessing some Local Government Areas (LGAs), notably in the South. Attacks on INEC premises, including just days before polling, hindered preparations in affected areas, while instilling fear in voters.
“Overall, stakeholders had expressed confidence in INEC’s independence, professionalism, and voter information efforts, but this decreased ahead of elections. INEC lacked efficient planning and transparency during critical stages of the electoral process, while on election day, trust in INEC was seen to further reduce due to delayed polling processes and information gaps related to much anticipated access to results on its Results Viewing Portal, IReV.
“In the lead-up to elections, the widely welcomed Electoral Act 2022 introduced measures aimed at building stakeholder trust, however, leaving some important gaps in terms of accountability and INEC’s power to enforce the law. Weak points include a lack of INEC empowerment to enforce sanctions for electoral offences and breaches of campaign finance rules. Other new provisions also aimed to enhance transparency of results.
“The introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the IReV for the 2023 elections was perceived as an important step to ensure the integrity and credibility of elections. However, delayed training of technical personnel, an inadequate mock testing exercise, and a lack of public information on the election technologies diminished expectations and left room for speculation and uncertainty.”
On voting and collation of results, EU EOM said, “The EU EOM observers assessed that the atmosphere during the voting was overall peaceful. There was late opening in almost all polling units observed, mainly due to delayed arrival of sensitive materials and polling staff. Most opened within two hours of the designated time. In several locations, particularly in the South-South and South-East, voting started as late as five hours after scheduled opening or not at all. Positively, EU EOM observers noted that voters queuing after 2.30 pm were allowed to vote.
“Generally, voting went smoothly in most locations observed. Both PDP and APC were well represented, while, the LP had up to half as many agents present. Voters, who were reassigned to a new polling unit, had difficulties in identifying the correct polling unit. In 100 of 240 observed polling units, the layout did not sufficiently protect the secrecy of the vote; in more than half the voters did not mark the ballot in secrecy.
“BVAS was not functioning properly in 25 of 240 polling units observed. Observers reported that facial as opposed to fingerprint recognition was mostly used, similar to the mock exercise. EU EOM observers reported that key polling procedures were not always followed. In 32 of the observed polling units, the voter register was not always ticked. Observers reported underage voting in Sokoto and Kano.”
“Both, security agencies and media recorded violent attacks on polling units, and harassment of voters in at least 16 states, with Lagos, Kano, Rivers, and Imo reportedly being most affected. INEC cancelled elections in seven polling units in Kogi and suspended voting in 141 units in Bayelsa, while audio-visual materials in media and online indicated a much larger scale of no voting or disruptions due to security problems and extremely late dispatch of election materials.
“On 26 February, voting continued in some polling units in at least six states. INEC did not provide comprehensive information on how many polling units had no or delayed voting, nor did it offer a clear solution on how to ensure the right to vote nationwide.
“While the collation was ongoing, the presidential result forms from polling units were not on the IReV portal, though Senate and House of Representative results were slowly published. Presidential election result forms only started to be uploaded after 10 pm on election day raising concerns, with the total number of forms reaching only 20 percent by noon on 26 February and several were illegible. Only later the same evening, INEC explained the delay with ‘technical hitches'”.
The EU envoy also decried the low participation of women in the electoral process while calling for more inclusivity.
“Women accounted for less than 10 per cent of candidates, a continuing decline since 2010, underscoring a lack of affirmative action at odds with the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women and constitutional guarantees for equality,” the report reads.
“The defeat of proposed laws for inclusion in 2022 marked another setback for women’s political rights. Ahead of these elections, at least two women candidates, including one for governor, faced unsuccessful efforts by their parties to exclude them. Incentives for women to contest party primaries free of charge were not followed by genuine supports, as those availing of such opportunities often faced criticism from their own party for not contributing to party funds.
“Impediments from abuse and intimidation, including on-line, are widely reported. EU EOM observers also noted that women candidates face significant challenges campaigning due to financial constraints and social resistance. INEC states that over 60 per cent of its staff are women, however key decision-making posts are overwhelmingly occupied by men. Among 36 RECs only three are women.”
- Nigeria’s Defence Chief Calls for National Unity Against Terrorism - April 28, 2024
- Boko Haram Militant Surrenders to Army in Borno - April 28, 2024
- Military Commander Killed Responding to Village Attack in Katsina - April 28, 2024
