Following the just concluded elections in the country, the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) to Nigeria has cried out over the violence approach by some persons in the polls.
According to the EU EOM, about 21 persons were reported to have died across the country in various forms of election-related violent activities.
The observers posited that something urgent must be done to correct the anomaly to prevent a re-occurence in Nigeria’s democracy. It said there was a general voter apathy during the last elections as a result of infractions that happened in the general elections held in the country,
EU EOM Chief Observer, Barry Andrews, made the assertions yesterday while addressing a press conference in Abuja, where the group presented a preliminary report on their observations from last Saturday’s elections.
Andrews, who is also a member of the European Parliament, said shortly before, and on election day, incidents of organised violence in several states created an environment of fear for voters.
The EU chief poll observer stated, “Public confidence and trust in INEC were severely damaged on February 25, due to lack of transparency and operational failures in the conduct of the federal level polls.
“Up until the postponement, INEC continued to abstain from providing information, limiting its communication to a few press releases and ceremonial statements and, hence, failing to address public grievances and rebuild confidence in the electoral process.
“From March 11 onwards, despite compressed timeframes, INEC introduced various corrective measures to render a timely delivery of electoral materials, efficient use of election technologies, and ensure prompt publication of result forms, some of which were effective.
“Overall, on election day, multiple incidents of thuggery and intimidation interrupted polling in various locations, primarily across the south, but also in states in the central and northern areas. There were reportedly some 21 fatalities. In polling units in several states, violent incidents targeted voters, INEC personnel, citizen observers, and journalists.
“Most polling units opened with materials and personnel deployed on time, although a dismal level of voter participation meant less pressure on INEC operations throughout the day. Vote-buying, also observed by EU EOM observers, further detracted from an appropriate conduct of the elections.”
Andrews stated further, “The March 18 elections did not face the same problems with the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) as on February 25. Result forms for the gubernatorial races were uploaded and displayed for public scrutiny. At the time of the declaration of presidential results only.”
He added, “Throughout the mission we saw that Nigerians have a great appetite for democracy and are keen to engage in various civic activities. However, in many parts of the country, their expectations were not met. Many were disappointed and we witnessed voter apathy that is in part a clear consequence of failures by political elites and, unfortunately, also by INEC.”
Andrews noted that multiple incidents of thuggery and intimidation of voters, polling officials, observers and journalists were recorded mainly in Lagos, Kano, and other states in the southern and central parts of the country. He said campaigns in state elections were competitive and fundamental freedoms of assembly and movement were largely respected.
The EU mission insisted, however, that insecurity impeded the canvass for votes in certain parts of the country and organised violent attacks shortly before the elections in several states led to a fearful atmosphere.