No Voters in 2027
Read Time:1 Minute, 37 Second
European Union final report on Nigeria’s 2023 elections says the exercise was spoiled by numerous irregularities and low voter turnout
Nigeria’s elections early this year were marred by problems that reduced public trust in electoral processes, European Union observers said in a final report, urging reforms to enhance transparency and accountability.
President Bola Tinubu won the disputed February vote, whose result is being challenged in court by his two main rivals.
Atiku Abubakar from the biggest opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP)’s Peter Obi have asked the Appeals Court to invalidate the election won by Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) party.
The opposition leaders said in separate affidavits the election was fraught with irregularities and accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of breaching the law by failing to use electronic machines to upload polling station results, among other criticisms.
Atiku and Obi asked for an order “cancelling the presidential election” and for the INEC to conduct a fresh vote.
Tinubu has defended the election as credible.
The EU mission said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should improve in six priority areas, including removing ambiguities in electoral law, ensuring real-time publication of and access to election results and clamping down on electoral offences.
“Shortcomings in law and electoral administration hindered the conduct of well-run and inclusive elections and damaged trust in INEC,” said the report seen by Reuters on Wednesday.
“A lack of transparency and operational failures reduced trust in the process and challenged the right to vote.”
The February vote was marked by the lowest voter turnout since the end of military rule in 1999.
The INEC was not immediately available to comment.
An INEC spokesman told local TV that the EU mission report was “unfair,” adding that INEC’s failure to upload presidential election results on time was caused by a glitch in its system.
Akowe with materials from Reuters
Happy
0 %
Sad
0 %
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
0 %
Surprise
0 %
0
0
Average Rating