The European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) has given a damning verdict on the performance of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies during last Saturday’s supplementary governorship elections, which held in five states of the country.
In a preliminary report issued yesterday on the heels of the supplementary elections, the mission said that in the midst of widespread violence, particularly in Kano, both agencies, which are critical in the electoral process, proved ineffective in the task of protecting the voters and the sanctity of the ballot.
The EU observers also accused the leading parties – All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) – of engaging in vote-buying.
The EUEOM, which has been observing elections in Nigeria for many years, said it deployed teams to each of the five states namely Kano, Sokoto, Plateau, Benue and Bauchi where supplementary governorship elections took place and followed the polling, counting and collation of results processes.
Press and Public Outreach Officer to the EUEOM, Sarah Fradgley, said that besides the failure of these national institutions, political party agents were also unable to rein in their supporters while the mayhem lasted.
She noted that while there were improved logistical arrangements and procedures at some of the polling units where they observed, there were problems with secrecy of the ballot.
“Extensive electoral security problems were observed in some areas, with groups of men with weapons intimidating and obstructing the process, and security agencies ineffective at protecting citizens’ right to vote.
“In particular, parts of Kano were largely inaccessible to EU observers, and citizen observers and journalists were also obstructed.
“EU observers also witnessed increased interference by party agents and cases of vote-buying. Party leaderships did not appear to take any steps to rein in their supporters. Given the high stakes and the reduced electorate involved, supplementary elections are systemically vulnerable to parties strategically pressurising voters and disrupting the process,” she said.
According to the report, the general environment of the election was intimidating and not conducive to voters’ free participation in the exercise.
Throughout the day, the report said, INEC did not comment on electoral disturbances, despite its overall responsibility for the election and security arrangements.
“On 23 March, extensive electoral security problems were observed, particularly in parts of Kano where polling became inaccessible to EU observers in some areas. The environment was intimidating and not conducive to voters’ free participation in the election. Party leaderships locally and centrally did not appear to take any steps to rein in supporters and prevent evident violence, intimidation or other misconduct. Throughout the day, INEC did not comment on electoral disturbances, despite its overall responsibility for the election and security arrangements.
“In Nasarawa local government area (LGA) in Kano, which accounted for approximately one-third of all registered voters for the supplementary governorship election, EU observers witnessed organised intimidation of voters. For example, groups of youths with clubs and machetes patrolled the streets and people with party agent tags harassed voters. During collation in Kano, EU observers saw that several INEC polling staff had been attacked. Large groups of men with weapons were not contained by the police.
“Due to intimidating crowds and disturbances, EU observers in Kano could not access or continue observation in polling units in Dala and Nasarawa LGAs. The electoral process in Kano was further compromised by the harassment and obstruction of citizen observers, and journalists from BBC Hausa, the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), and TVC. This compromised scrutiny of both polling and collation of results in the affected areas. Isolated violent incidents also disrupted voting and counting in other states.
“In Bauchi, EU observers witnessed around 50 people with clubs disrupting counting in one polling unit. In Benue, election materials were burnt, resulting in the cancellation of polling affecting 13,000 registered voters, and a collation officer carrying result sheets was shot in the leg,” said the report.
In terms of polling and collation procedures, the EUEOM reported that party agents were seen interfering more in the process than on the previous two election days.
“Some polling units in Kano were dominated by controlling party agents and supporters. Of the 40 polling units that EU teams could fully observe, agents were present in all and in five cases were seen interfering in the work of polling officials, in Benue, Plateau and Sokoto.
“EU observers in all five states also saw party agents trying to influence voters, assisting voters or voting on their behalf. Supporters and agents were sometimes present in polling units in excessive numbers, resulting in overcrowding.
“EU observers also saw vote-buying in Sokoto by both the leading parties, and indications of vote-buying in Kano. Citizen observers also reported party agents involved in vote-buying, and bribery of polling staff and police,” Fradgley said.
INEC had scheduled the five supplementary governorship elections, as well as 45 State House of Assembly elections following the declaration of March 9 elections as being inconclusive due to the cancellation of a number of polling units, and the total number of voters affected being more than the margin of lead.
In taking that action, INEC had listed electoral misconduct, violence, failure to use smart card readers and over-voting as the reasons for the cancellations.
However, available reports indicate that more of these vices resurfaced during the re-run or corrective polls.
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