International observer groups flag Nigeria’s presidential election

International observer groups believe that the just-concluded presidential and National Assembly elections held on February 25 were flawed.

According to a statement issued by the European Union Election Observation Mission in Nigeria (EU EOM), the elections were not free, fair, and transparent.

They claimed that there was widespread suspicion of vote purchasing and that incumbent political officeholders abused their influences to stifle competition. The media extensively covered the three main campaigns, but on election day, voters were unable to make informed choices because of false information, they said.

The EU EOM observers’ were concerned that the results were not uplaoded on the Independent National Rlectoral Commission (INEC)’s IReV portal as anticipated and promised by the electoral body, noting that INEC lacked efficient planning and transparency during critical stages of the electoral process. 

Similarly, many Nigerians have alleged that the elections were not free and fair, alleging that INEC acted a script. Along with other foreign organisations, the 2023 elections have drawn criticisms for lack of transparency and INEC’s perceived incompetence.

The European Union (EU), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), among others, have all flagged the election.

The PDP’s vice presidential caandidate, Ifeanyi Okowa, claimed, “The election was a farce, and never free and fair.”

A free and fair election, according to the political scientist Robert Dahi, is one in which “coercion is comparatively uncommon.” In order to have a free and fair election, there must be political freedom and fair procedures leading up to the vote, a fair count of all eligible voters who cast ballots and acceptance of the outcomes by all parties, analysts say.

What makes an election transparent?

According to the National Democratic Institute (NDI), the freedom to gather, share, and receive knowledge is the cornerstone of transparent elections. Election procedures must be explained to voters and candidates so that they can utilise their rights to vote and be elected respectively, the institute says.

The NDI outlines prerequisites that must be fulfilled in order to guarantee a free and open election, one of which is that voters and candidates must receive sufficient and timely information regarding how, when, and where to carry out nominations, register voters, cast ballots, and conduct other election-related activities.

Voters and candidates should receive information about administrative aspects of the electoral process, such as choices made by election authorities, actions taken, and technologies used.

Election observers and candidates are entitled to access all aspects of the electoral process, such as voter registration, printing of ballots, and packaging and distributing of confidential materials.

Has Nigeria had transparent elections?

Nigeria began its electoral journey in 1964 but experienced a protracted period of military interregna. And after resuming in 1999, the country’s democracy appears to have grown amid challenges.. 

Local and foreign observers have deemed the 1993 presidential elections as the most free, fair, and democratic in Nigeria’s history, though it wwas aborted by the Ibrahim Babangida military regime.

The June 12, 1993, presidential election was peaceful and credible in contrast to earlier elections tainted by widespread fraud, bloodshed, and intimidation. Although the results were later annulled, it was deemed the freest and most impartial in Nigerian electoral history.

However, many believe the just-concluded elections have taken the country backward. Analysts say that absence of electoral transparency has contributed to a lack of national security, peace and a negative perception of Nigeria.

“Yiaga Africa expressed concerns about the unexplained delay in uploading polling unit results for the presidential election on the INEC Election Results Viewing Portal (IReV). As of 10pm on election day, results for the presidential election were not uploaded on the INEC portal after voting and counting ended in several polling units,” Yiaga said this in its Watching The Vote (WTV)’s situational preliminary press statement.

“At 9am on Feb. 26, INEC uploaded only 25,503 results for the presidential election on the INEC portal. The delay in uploading the results undermines public confidence in the results transmission process as it deviates from the elections guidelines and fails to meet citizens’ expectations,” the group added.