From Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja
The Commonwealth Election Observation Mission to Nigeria has said the February 25th presidential and national assembly elections were largely peaceful.
The group, in its preliminary statement issued in Abuja, however, said there was room for improvement.
“Nigeria’s 2023 general elections were “largely peaceful” despite administrative and logistical hurdles at many polling units,” the Commonwealth Election Observation Mission to Nigeria said.
The Chairperson of the Commonwealth Observer Group and former South African President, Thabo Mbeki, while delivering his preliminary assessment of the electoral process at a press conference in Abuja, said: “Nigerians were largely accorded the right to vote.”
Mbeki said: “We congratulate all Nigerians for their determination, patience and resilience displayed throughout the electoral process.”
Mbeki further encouraged Nigerians to exercise patience to allow the country’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and its staff to conclude the results process peacefully.
“We call on all those with grievances to address disputes through prescribed legal channels,” Mbeki said.
Speaking further, Mbeki said: “The time now is for restraint and continued patience as we await the final results.”
Mbeki also commended Nigerians for their commitment towards the election 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.
Mbeki hailed the polling officials for conducting their duties diligently, while noting some inconsistencies in procedures, particularly in the positioning of some polling booths which compromised the secrecy of the ballot, as well as lack of advance voting for those deployed on election day.
He stated that as voting hours extended into the night due to late openings, some polling units were ill-equipped with proper lighting to facilitate voting and counting in the dark.
Mbeki encouraged the electoral commission 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.
He noted an improvement with the enactment of a new Electoral Act in 2022, which gave INEC more autonomy, legal backing for the use of electronic accreditation of voters and frameworks for the inclusion of people with disabilities in the elections, among others.