The European Union Election Observation Mission to Nigeria
on Saturday released the final report gathered from its observation of the 2019
general election.
The report highlighted a number of issues regarding the
polls and gave 30 recommendations to the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC).
The mission, which had in its preliminary report released in
April, adjudged the polls as characterised by violence, underage voting, and
vote-buying, however, said the election recorded some improvements compared to
past ones.
“The systemic failings evident in the elections and the low
levels of voter participation show the need for fundamental reform,” it read.
“Without this, there is a risk of unaccountable leadership
and citizen disengagement. Such reform requires principled political leadership
committed to the rights of Nigerian citizens and an inclusive process of
national dialogue involving state institutions, parties, civil society, the
media and other experts.
“This needs to be urgently undertaken to allow time for
debate, legislative changes and implementation well in advance of the next
elections.”
Below are some of the highlights from the report:
INEC RECORDED IMPROVEMENT
 |
| Mahmood Yakubu, INEC chairman, and top officials of the commission |
“The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) worked
in a complex security and politically-charged environment, with its premises
and officials subject to physical attacks and intimidation,” it read.
“INEC made a number of improvements, including making
electoral participation more accessible through simplified voting procedures.
INEC made efforts to strengthen electoral integrity by issuing regulations
making smart card readers mandatory to accredit voters, but there were
insufficient accompanying transparency measures.
“Other procedural weaknesses continued, including in regards
to checks and transparency in the results process. Severe operational
shortcomings resulted in the elections being postponed by a week just five
hours before polling was due to start on 16 February.”
LACK OF TRANSPARENCY
The report said the 2019 polls recorded transparency issues
even though it was highly competitive.
“Nigeria’s 2019 general elections were marked by severe
operational and transparency shortcomings, electoral security problems, and low
turnout. Positively, the elections were competitive, parties were overall able
to campaign and civil society enhanced accountability,” it read.
“The leading parties were at fault in not reining in acts of
violence and intimidation by supporters, and in abusing incumbency at federal
and state levels.”
LESSER WOMEN PARTICIPATION
The EOM decried the decreasing participation of women in
electoral positions.
“Nigeria has the lowest rate of women in parliament in
Africa, with the number progressively decreasing since 2011,” it said.
“The number of women elected fell again. These systemic
failings show the need for fundamental reform so elections better serve the
interests of the Nigerian people.
“The proportion of women elected is well below the 30 per
cent Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the 35 per cent national
targets. 203 Similarly, the proportion of female candidates for national and
state-level elections generally reduced in comparison to 2015 by an average of
two percentage points to 10 per cent”
SUSPENSION OF CJN ‘QUESTIONABLE’
It said the suspension of Walter Onnoghen, former chief
justice of Nigeria, is questionable, adding that due process was not followed.
“It was seen by many as undermining security of tenure,
damaging judicial independence and compromising the division of powers. The
suspension did not follow due process, was divisive, and undermined confidence
in the electoral process and opportunity for remedy.
“The mission observed that questionable procedures were
followed by the Code of Conduct Tribunal. The removal of the chief justice of
Nigeria during the elections had an inhibiting effect on the judiciary.
“Very few electoral offences result in arrest or
prosecution, and thus there is an enduring culture of impunity.”
OVER 100 ELECTION-RELATED DEATHS
Violence was recorded across some states, including Lagos
and Delta during the polls, leading to loss of lives and property.
“The elections became increasingly marred by violence and
intimidation. This harmed the integrity of the electoral process and may deter
future participation. Based on information available, around 150 people died in
election-related violence during the campaign period and over the election
days.
“Approximately 145 people were killed in election-related
violence, 84 of which were in the South South zone. This is a comparable figure
to the 2015 general elections.
“However, exact numbers of incidents and fatalities are hard
to obtain and there are different views on what is categorised as electoral and
political violence.”
INEC’s CREDIBILITY QUESTIONABLE
“INEC’s neutrality and ability to withstand political
pressure was increasingly questioned, particularly following the September 2018
off-cycle governorship election in Osun,” it said.
“INEC operated in a highly politically-charged and complex
security environment. Its officials and premises were subject to physical
attack, including abductions and intimidation, and there were also difficulties
with some inter-institutional arrangements.
“A number of procedural weaknesses identified by previous EU
election observation missions remained unaddressed, particularly regarding
checks and transparency in the results process.”
‘BIASED’ MEDIA
According to the report, the Nigerian Television Authority
(NTA) was biased in its covering and reportage of the polls, adding that it
gave preferential treatment to President Muhammadu Buhari.
“There was evident partisan programming by the NTA. The
joint share of exposure for the president, the government and the APC was over
84 per cent.
“During the EU EOM’s 46-day monitoring period, President
Buhari had two hours and eight minutes of direct speech within the news, while
Atiku Abubakar had seven minutes,” it said.
“Except for federal radio, state media primarily served the
interests of the president or the governor at state level.
However federal government-owned TV clearly favoured the
president and the ruling party.”
FAKE NEWS FACTOR
“Disinformation (fake/false narratives) was a key focus of
political discussion with concern about its impact on the 2019 elections and
risk of violence.119 Government officials repeatedly alerted the public to the
risk of disinformation. People affiliated with both major parties posted false
partisan information online.”
GUBER POLL MORE ORDERLY THAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
It judged the gubernatorial election as more orderly than
its presidential counterpart.
“Polling was more orderly and assessed more positively by EU
observers in comparison to the 23 February election day.”
TRANSPARENT COUNTING OF BALLOT
“Overall, the counting of ballots was transparent. In 25 out
of 28 observed polling units, results forms were filled in completely. But in
12 cases collation was assessed as bad or very bad. In most cases, results
forms and smart card readers were not packed in tamper-evident envelopes when
delivered to collation centres.”
Meanwhile, Mahmood Yakubu, INEC chairman, has promised to
ensure the implementation of the recommendations.
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