The Election Observation Mission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has said that despite challenges of violence, delays and malfunctioning of Smart Card Readers in some parts of the country, Saturday’s National Assembly and Presidential elections were generally peaceful and transparent.
Head of the ECOWAS Observer Mission, Ellen Sirleaf Johnson said this on Sunday night while making a preliminary declaration on the election pending the collation and declaration of final results by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The Mission observed that although the media played major role in informing the people it however, reported the use of media platforms to misinform the public and propagate hate speech. The Mission also observed that although the campaigns were largely peaceful, some incidents led to violence and deaths. Some deaths also occurred during the elections.
The former President of Liberia also commended the Nigerian electorate for their patience and determination to exercise their civic responsibility even as it called on the INEC and other stakeholders to approach the final phases of the process with fairness and transparency until the announcement of the final results.
The Mission urged INEC to take steps to address the many shortcomings, including operational capacity and systems that were observed all through the process. It further appealed to party leaders, candidates, their supporters and press, to show tolerance and restraint leading up to, and after the announcement of the results.
The Mission also called on the candidates to in the spirit of of the commitment made in the Peace Accord of February 13, accept the verdict of the polls in good faith, and in case of complaints, to seek redress by legal means solely.
The Mission lauded INEC, the security agencies for their dedication and professionalism, and praised the efforts of political parties, media and civil societies for their commitment and their demonstration of maturity during the process.
The ECOWAS Observation Mission comprised 200 observers from ECOWAS Member states, including 170 short term observers and 30 long term observers deployed to 31 states across the six geo- political zones of Nigeria including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
