APA – Lagos (Nigeria)
Hundreds of foreign observers who monitored the presidential and parliamentary elections have commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the conduct of Nigeria’s most anticipated general elections.
The International Observers, which included Election Groups like the African Union led by former President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya and the commonwealth team led by former president Thabo Mbeki of South Africa submitted their preliminary report to the electoral umpire on Monday, two dats after the polls.
In spite of their commendation, the observers decried the cases of violence that broke out in some states of the country. They also pointed out the late arrival of voting materials, violence in some parts of the country, and reported cases of ballot snatching in some states.
In addition, the observers from the International Republican Institute (IRI) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI) expressed concerns over the violence that erupted in some parts of the country.
The leader of the NDI/IRI election observer group, Dr Joyce Banda, told a news conference in Abuja that while the signing of the Peace Accord offered the presidential aspirants the opportunity to caution their supporters, it failed to achieve the aim.
The group stated that the election fell short of its expectation owing to a lack of adequate logistics and political violence amongst others.
Tthe European Union Observer Mission, on their part, raised concerns about vote buying, violence, and delay in the deployment and commencement of the elections.
The E.U Chief Election Observer, Barry Andrews, also expressed concerns about the lack of transparency by INEC over its delay to upload results on its portal promptly.
The election observer group also expressed concerns over the inability of some eligible voters to perform their civic duties owing to cash crunch and fuel shortages.
Meanwhile, Nigerians are waiting anxiously for the declaration of the final result by the presidential election by the INEC Chairman, Prof Mahood Yakubu after the ongoing collation of election results on Monday in Abuja.
GIK/APA