THE International Republican Institute (IRI) and National Democratic Institute (NDI) Joint Election Observation Mission (IEOM) have rated Saturday’s presidential and National Assembly elections in Nigeria below expectation and berated the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over what it considered lacked of transparency.
The international observer team stated this in their preliminary statement released today in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The leader the team and former President of Malawi, Dr Joyce Banda, congratulated Nigerians for “their resilience and enthusiasm”.
“Despite large crowds in some polling stations and long waits, Nigerian voters demonstrated commitment to participate in the process and a strong desire to have their voices heard,” she said.
The mission noted that not withstanding the reforms to the Electoral Act 2022, “the election fell well short of Nigerian citizens’ reasonable expectations, while the electoral commission lacked transparency.”
Banda said logistical challenges and multiple incidents of political violence overshadowed the electoral process and impeded a substantial number of voters from participating.
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