While Nigeria waits to know the complete and official results of the polls on Saturday February 25 (presidential, legislative and senatorial), the various national and international observer missions present their reports. Monday, February 27 in Abuja, the joint mission – National Democratic Institute and International Republican Institute – led by former Malawian President Joyce Banda made critical comments about the Electoral Commission.
With our special correspondent in Abuja, Amelie Tulet
Almost systematic delays in the opening of polling stations, lack of training for electoral agents, too long waits for official results… For Joyce Banda, former President of Malawi,the Nigerian Electoral Commission (INEC) could and should have done better.
” They made too many promises that they didn’t keep. But what makes me so happy is that Nigerians came out at 5 or 6 in the morning and waited to vote until dark. This determination is a remarkable example for the entire African continent. “, she said Monday, February 27, while the provisional results of the ballot are falling in dribs and drabs.
A determination of the Nigerians which would have deserved more support and transparency on the part of the organizers of the poll, according to the former American ambassador Mark Green, president of the think tank Wilson Center:
” Currency shortages and fuel placed an excessive burden on voters and election officials. These logistical problems were predictable and avoidable. Voters’ confidence in the process has been undermined by the commission’s lack of transparency. There have been many missed opportunities to communicate and explain these difficulties. »
On the subject of the incidents and violence which marred the ballot in places, Mark Green declared: “ The signing of a peace agreement between political parties like the one last week should not be just a piece of paper. It is a commitment for which Nigerians are entitled to demand accountability. »
Observers are calling on the Nigerian Electoral Commission to review the training of officers and ensure the proper functioning of digital tools for voter identification and real-time transmission of results for the upcoming March 11 gubernatorial elections.
The mission of observers from ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) also presented its first observations. Like the mission led by Joyce Banda, the West African mission also notes the lack of representation of women among the candidates.