The African Union (AU), and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Observation Missions deployed to the Nigerian general elections wants the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to improve on the encountered challenges for credible conclusions of the electoral process.
The Head of African Union Observation Mission and Former President of Kenya Mr. Uhuru Kenyatta , together with Leader of the ECOWAS Observer mission and Former President of Sierra Leone Ernest Bi Koroma, made the call in Abuja during a joint preliminary briefing on the elections.
The head of the observation missions urged Nigerians to remain calm until the announcement of the final result from INEC, cautioning against disinformation and fake news especially on social media platforms that would incite post-election violence.
COMMONWEALTH
The Chairperson Commonwealth Observer Group and former President of South Africa Mr. Thabo Mbeki, has commended the commitment shown by voters, despite the late arrival of election officials and materials at many polling units, technical issues with biometric identification machines in some cases, and delays with the live results transmission system.
He gave the commendation in Abuja while presenting the groups preliminary assessment on the election.
Mr. Mbeki congratulates all Nigerians for the determination, patience and resilience displayed throughout the electoral process.
While noting some inconsistencies in procedures, particularly in the positioning of some polling booths which compromised the secrecy of the ballot, the former South African President also praised the polling officials for conducting their duties diligently.
The commonwealth group also observed that voting hours extended into the night due to late openings of some polling units which were ill-equipped with proper lighting to facilitate voting and counting in the dark.
Mr. Mbeki encouraged INEC to conduct a thorough post-election review of the electoral process to draw lessons and consider setting up appropriate mechanisms to implement the recommendations of observers.
Mr Mbeki said the group noted the low percentage of women candidates, but was impressed by the vibrant participation of young people, including as polling officials, in the elections.
It says the Commonwealth observers were in Benue, Edo, Kano, Lagos, Ondo, Rivers and Sokoto states as well as the Federal Capital Territory.
They observed the accreditation, voting, counting and results aggregation, and met with electoral officials and observers to build up a broader picture on the conduct of the electoral process.
He said before leaving Nigeria on 2 March, the group will complete its final report, setting out its recommendations, which will be submitted to the Commonwealth Secretary-General at a later stage.
Reporting by Hamza Alkali; Editing by Fany Olumoye and Julian Osamoto