The Commonwealth Group observing Nigeria’s general election has concluded that despite difficulties faced during the vote, “for the most part, Nigerians had the opportunity to express their will and exercise their franchise.”
In its Interim Statement released, the Group
called on political parties to reject violence, while also commending
the people of Nigeria for their commitment to democracy, including
positive steps taken for women and youth participation in politics.
“Election-related
violence and loss of life, which occurred in a number of places, is
deeply troubling. Nigeria can do better. Violence has no place in a
modern democracy,” stated Chairperson Jakaya Kikwete, former President
of Tanzania, noting that several reports of violence were received by
the Group. “Those responsible should be held accountable. We encourage
all political parties to honour their commitments in the National Peace
Accord and reject violence.”
The Group welcomed the
signing of the National Peace Accord, and noted that while the campaign
environment was tense and divisive, overall, “fundamental freedoms of
association, expression, assembly and movement were generally
respected”.
On polling day, Commonwealth observes
witnessed a number of key challenges, including delays in the
distribution of election materials, late opening of polling units,
technical problems with Smart Card Readers, and inconsistency in polling
procedures.
The Group also noted that 11.2 million
Permanent Voter Cards (required for voting) out of 84 million were not
collected. Consequently, more than 13 percent of all registered voters
could not vote.
Notwithstanding the challenges,
Commonwealth observers were impressed by the hard work and dedication of
polling staff. They commended the youth of Nigeria, especially the
National Youth Service Corps, for their invaluable contribution to the
electoral process. They welcomed the passing of the Not Too Young To Run
Act in 2018, as a significant first step to enable youth participation,
and noted some progress in the number of female political candidates.
The Group encouraged stronger action to promote genuine inclusion.
“We
trust that the final stages of collation and announcement of results
will be handled in a transparent and credible manner,” said Dr. Kikwete.
“The people of Nigeria have demonstrated patience and commitment to
their democracy. We appeal to them to maintain the same commitment in
the post-election period.”
The Commonwealth Group
observed followed the pre-election campaign, voting, counting and
collation processes. The Group’s full assessment on the electoral
process as a whole, setting out its recommendations in greater detail,
will be submitted to the Commonwealth Secretary-General at a later
stage.
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