Commonwealth Observer Group commends Nigeria for peaceful election

Tom Okpe, Abuja

The Commonwealth Observer Group has commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Security Agencies and the people of Nigeria for peaceful conduct of the last Saturday’s Presidential and National Assembly elections. The Group also said the election was open and transparent with money not exchanging hands and People With Disabilities (PWDs) performing their Civic rights without molestation especially, the blind who were aided and given priority to vote. In a press conference at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja on Monday, Dr. Jikaya Kikwete, former President, United Republic of Tanzania and Chairperson of the Commonwealth Observer Group said: “The election we come to observe in Nigeria was a transparent one. No underage voter’s were seen in all the units by our monitoring team. The People with Disabilities (PWDs) especially the blind were aided and given priority. The election was open, transparent and money not exchanging hands”. Kikwete stated that this is an interim statement made while electoral process is still ongoing as such provides an initial assessment as observed. The Commonwealth Group was constituted by the Commonwealth Secretary General, Patricia Scotland QC, following an invitation by the INEC Chairman, Mahmoud Yakubu. This is said to be the sixth election observed by the group in Nigeria since 1999. “Nigeria, a key member of the Commonwealth is the largest democracy in Africa with 84 million registered voters; so, organising elections across 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) with almost 120,000 polling units is significant undertakings”, he stated. As a cause of the team observation, “we however noted that further assurances provided by INEC as there were delays in the distribution of materials, resulting in late opening of polling units. “We also noted that polling officials, security staff and other essential workers were unable to vote and we’re therefore disenfranchised. It was also noted that 11.2 million permanent voter cards (PVCs) were not collected, consequently, over 13 percent of all registered voters could not vote. “Problems of smart card readers were also noted in a number of polling units. The group was however impressed by the hard work and dedication of polling staff which would have yielded more result if there was enough adequate training. “Large number of people was noted crowding polling units who claims to be party agents without party tags and during sorting and counting, determination invalid votes was often vigorously contested by party agents. “The role of security personnel in securing polling units was highly acknowledged as this was a highly contested election. Also, the role of women participation as candidates in the election and therefore encourage the government and all political parties to take stronger action to encourage genuine inclusion. The Not Too Young To Run Act (2018) is a significant step to enable youths participate in all elective offices”. The Chairperson noted that electoral reform is a continuous process, building on what has worked successfully and addressing weaknesses. Election related violence and loss of lives which occurred in some places is deeply troubling; notwithstanding the difficulties and challenges surrounding these elections, most parts of the country had the opportunity to express their will and exercise their franchise. “The people of Nigeria have demonstrated patience and commitment to democracy. We appeal to them to maintain the same commitment in the post-election period as Nigeria returns to the polls on 9 March, for the Governorship, State Assembly and the FCT elections”, he said.