Foreign and domestic observers that monitored the Presidential and National Assembly elections on Saturday have decried the “high level of intimidation by security forces backed by politicians” during Saturday’s elections.
The observers, at a joint media briefing in Uyo, Awa Ibom State alleged that 25 persons lost their lives during the exercise saying the number was more than the 12 that died in previous elections held in 2015.
The Publicity Secretary, Pan African Women Project, Republic of South Africa, Mphoentle Keitseng and Stafford Bisong of International Leadership Initiative who spoke at the conference alleged that late arrival of material, ballot box snatching and others marred the elections.
“These we consider as saddening and alarming in a context supposedly civil and democratic. It seems to us that Nigeria is transiting backwards to the dark ages of a near anarchy situation“.
“We observed that in Uyo Local Government Area materials arrived in many units very late. Materials just arrived now at 1104 in ward 006 004 but accreditation has not started.
“There was lots of ballot box snatching in lots of polling units at polling unit 2 ward five Ikono South and at ward eight unit one in Itu Local Government.There were also absence of materials in Ibesikpo Asutan and other places.
“We observed that there were insufficient security personnel at some polling units of this electio,” Keitseng said.
Bisong said “the just concluded Presidential and National Assembly elections in Nigeria was characterized by planned and deliberate intimidation, assault, hording snatching and destruction of ballot papers and boxes in southern parts of the Nigeria, evidently in Lagos, Rivers Akwa Ibom and some parts of Cross River.
Bisong alleged that thugs loyal to a particular politician in the presence of the military and police took over a local government collation centre preventing others opponents and their party agents from having access into the Collation Centre.
“The role of the military in election and consequent rule of engagement in elections were clearly and consistently violated“.
“We observed the military in states like Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Imo, Cross River etc, order electorates, observer, and some party agents out of collation centres for the sole aim of falsification of results in favour of a preferred candidate.
He called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the federal government and the international community to investigate the role of the security forces and apply appropriate sanctions to such ”undemocratic and inhuman acts.”
