By Victoria Ojeme
The European Union Election Observer Mission to the 2023 General election in Nigeria (EU EOM) on Tuesday said the 2023 general elections did not ensure a well-run transparent and inclusive democratic process as assured by the INEC.
The EU Chief Observer and the head of the delegation, Barry Andrews, disclosed this in Abuja while presenting the Mission’s final report on the election, saying the “election exposed enduring systemic weakness and therefore signal a need for further legal and operational reforms to enhance transparency, inclusiveness, and accountability”.
Although he noted some improvements in the conduct of the election especially the deployment of technology such as the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Results Viewing Portal (IReV), but lamented that the 2023 general elections did not ensure a well-run transparent and inclusive democratic process as assured by the INEC.
He added that public confidence and trust in INEC were severely damaged during the presidential poll and was not restored on the state level elections of March 18, leading to civil society organizations call for an independent audit of the entire process.
“Early in the process, while enjoying a broad stakeholder trust, INEC introduced a series of positive measures to strengthen the conduct of the elections. However, closer to the polls some started to doubt INEC’s administrative and operational efficiency and in-house capacity.
“Public confidence gradually decreased and was severely damaged on 25 February due to its operational failures and lack of transparency. While some corrective measures introduced before the March 18 elections were effective, overall trust was not restored,” Andrews said.
Source: Vanguard