Local monitoring group urges better voter education

Nigeria’s Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), a coalition of local human rights and civil society bodies, has published a four-point recommendation to ensure greater legitimacy for Saturday’s poll. In an interim report received by IRIN today, the TMG said intense voter education and mobilisation was needed to increase voter participation in contrast to the legislative polls. Considering that only two parties are contesting the presidential election, it called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue ballot papers bearing symbols of the two parties. This, it said, would eliminate or reduce the confusion of voters. Two of Nigeria’s lesser parties have teamed up to fight the frontrunner, the PDP. The TMG also called for high level security for ballot boxes and election officers, election monitors and party agents during the polls. It urged “increased efforts to protect the privacy of voting”. The recommendations stem from a number of concerns the TMG highlighted in its report on the legislative polls. It cited low voter turnout, the selling of blank result sheets by some electoral officials, the lack of civic education on the election, polling stations without voting booths, bribery and harassment, and demands by voters for money.