Coalition of Nigerian CSOs Warns Against Cancellation of Polls, Stoppage of Votes Collation
•Wants grievances addressed by INEC
Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja
A coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Nigeria yesterday kicked against calls for the cancellation of the results of the presidential election held last Saturday and the termination of the collation process.
In a joint statement, the group stated however, that it was concerned about reports of irregularities and violence during voting in several states as well as the evident blunder by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) which resulted in lengthy delays in the start and end of voting in a number of polling units.
Members of the organisation include the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) Resource Centre, represented by Sulaimon Arigbabu, the Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre, represented by Dr. Abiola Akiode- Afolabi and the Resource Centre for Human Rights & Civic Education (CHRICED), which was represented by Dr. Zikrillahi Ibrahim.
Other members of the coalition are: Connected Development (CODE) on whose behalf Hazmat Lawal signed, the Centre for Anti-corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL), represented by Debo Adeniran, the Citizenship Civic Awareness Centre aka Democracy Vanguard, represented by Adeola Soetan and the Civil Society Network Against Corruption (CSNAC), represented by Olanrewaju Suraju.
While also highlighting reports of technical challenges with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in some polling locations, as well as other critical but resolved issues such as ballot paper stamping delays, the coalition stated that the process was still not beyond redemption.
It also expressed worry over reports of violent assaults on INEC staff, election material, including BVAS, and some voters in a number of places as a result of security flaws.
More significantly, the group observed INEC’s inability to quickly update the iRev portal for citizens to monitor poll results, despite the huge expectations raised by the electoral umpire in that regard.
Furthermore, the CSOs expressed worry over the approach that politicians across the board are taking to the issues, as well as the danger that their words and actions may pose to Nigerian and efforts to consolidate the democratic experience.
“We are especially concerned about any attempt to end the ongoing process without completing it logically and in accordance with established processes and procedures, and we urge Nigerians to be vigilant and resist any attempt by politicians of all stripes to undermine or impede our hard-earned democracy.
“The integrity of the electoral system is critical to the legitimacy of any government that emerges from it. The reported infractions in the conduct of the last Saturday ‘s elections must be thoroughly investigated, and where human error is established, such persons must be duly prosecuted.
“Despite the infractions and incidences of violence reported in a couple of places, we strongly believe the elections are not beyond redemption, and thus INEC and law enforcement authorities should do all that is possible within the law to transparently rectify these situations,” it stated.
According to the group, INEC should also continue to fix its technical issues and upload all results to its iRev, as pledged to Nigerians, while also ensuring the integrity of the uploaded results.
“ The ongoing presentation of results from the states by Returning Officers at the National Collation Centre in Abuja should not be halted under any circumstances, but should be concluded without further delay.
“ INEC should ensure results are declared and a winner announced once it has addressed complaints and validated all results from the various states,” the CSOs explained.
While recognising INEC’s authority to overturn or recall results that fail the integrity test outlined by the applicable laws, the group condemned any declaration of the final result or celebration of victory by any political party prior to the conclusion of INEC’s processes and the official declaration of a winner.
It also described as rash, ill-considered, and mischievous any calls by political parties or their allies for the cancellation of this election or the termination of the ongoing process.
The coalition exhorted all aggrieved persons or groups to pursue the established peaceful and legal channels for seeking redress when any infraction is observed.
It also disclosed that the preliminary statement will be followed by a more detailed report of its observation of the entire exercise, noting that it was necessitated in particular by recent events that threaten the election’s integrity which could plunge the nation into a crisis.
