…condemns election-related deaths, demands justice

By Gabriel Ewepu, Abuja

ONE of the frontline election observers, Yiaga Africa, Sunday, tasked the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to adequately scrutinize results declared under duress.

The call was made during the presentation of ‘Preliminary Statement on March 18 Governorship and State Assembly Elections’ to the media by Ezenwa Nwagwu, for Chair, Yiaga Africa Watching The Vote, along with the Executive Director, Yiaga Africa, Samson Itodo.

The statement pointed out that the elections were riddled with voter suppression, electoral violence, electoral impunity, vote buying and capture of the results management by political thugs in Delta, Lagos, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Kano, and Taraba States.

Also, Yiaga Africa expressed sadness by the cases of attacks on voters, INEC officials, journalists, election observers and personnel of the EFCC by political thugs as victims of recorded violence suffered grievous bodily harm and psychological trauma as at least eight fatalities were recorded within the last 24hrs, which it condemned election-related deaths, and added that security agencies should arrest the political thugs and their sponsors over attacks and killing.

It further condemned acts of voter suppression fuelled by ethnic profiling, political thuggery and desperation to secure electoral victory at all costs, denial of registered voters’ right to vote in some States, and says it discredits electoral outcomes by INEC, and condemned cases of voter inducement.

According to Yiaga Africa, its observers recorded 216 critical incidents; Violent disruption of the election process by thugs hired by politicians who shot sporadically, destroyed all the results sheets, hijack of election materials, and election personnel, disruption of the collation process, in Rivers, Lagos, Niger, Delta and Ebonyi States.

Ballot box snatching/destruction; 19 confirmed reports of snatching and destruction of ballot papers in Kano, Gombe and Rivers States.

Yiaga Africa also pointed out that there was election suspension in Benue State due to discrepancies on the printed ballot papers for two constituencies under the Kwande LGA, and election suspended in the entire LGA.

Results manipulation during collation recorded in Abia State, which the Yiaga Observers alleged that at Obingwa LGA Results Collation Centre, party agents wearing PDP tags and security agents ordered observers and other party agents (APC, Accord and APGA) to exit the collation centre while presiding officers were also forced to alter the figures on form EC8A in favour of the PDP.

“In addition, the PDP agent delegated other unidentified persons to sign the result sheet on behalf of other parties after manipulating the results”, it added.

Other critical incidents reported by Yiaga Africa include obstruction of election observation, intimidation and harassment; and vote buying.

The statement reads in part, “Yiaga Africa calls on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure proper oversight of the results collation process and ensure that results declared under duress or in breach of the Electoral Act, INEC Guidelines or Manual are reviewed in line with Section 65 of the Electoral Act.

“Yiaga Africa calls on the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) agents to ensure effective and adequate deployment of security personnel to the collation centres to properly secure INEC officials, observers, media reporters and party agents deployed and arrest offenders disrupting the process and causing violence.

“Yiaga Africa calls on political parties, their supporters and voters across the states to remain calm and peaceful as the results collation process is still ongoing.

However, Yiaga Africa urged Nigerians to remain peaceful and calm while awaiting the final collation and announcement of results.

“As INEC continues to collate results, we encourage all citizens, candidates and supporters to remain calm and peaceful, and reject any call for violence.

“Only INEC has the legal mandate to announce the election results and return a candidate as a winner.

“We urge all stakeholders to respect the commission’s constitutional power and refrain from declaring election results.

“Yiaga Africa enjoins citizens to remain calm and maintain peace as INEC collates the results. Yiaga Africa continues to monitor the results collation until the final completion.

“As soon as INEC announces the official results, Yiaga Africa will convene a press conference to share its statement on the accuracy of the election results.”