State elections “successful”, monitoring group says

Saturday’s elections were conducted successfully with improved performance by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) said. In its preliminary report on Saturday’s polls for state assemblies and governors, the TMG said its 3,000 monitors deployed across the country had observed a better state of logistical preparedness than during December’s local government elections and that electoral officials appeared better trained. However, it said there was still a “worrying level of arbitrariness” in the application of voting rules. In some areas, no election could be held due to lack of ballot papers, some voters’ registers were incomplete or appeared to have been altered, voting by underage persons was reported in certain places and allegations of bribery were widespread, the report said.

While the elections were generally peaceful, there were many reports of intimidation and harassment and attempted seizure of ballot boxes, it said, adding that students alleged to be members of secret cults were used as “political thugs” in Ogun, Oyo and Ondo states. The TMG, a coalition of 56 human rights and other grass roots organisations, noted a lower turnout of voters compared with last month’s elections, and the proportion of women voters was poor. The report, a copy of which was received today by IRIN, said pre-election education and information about voting procedures had been inadequate, and lack of knowledge about the candidates and their programmes had resulted in apathy about the exercise in many places.