Kamarudeen Ogundele and Eniola Akinkuotu The European Union Observation Mission to Nigeria says soldiers barred them from monitoring elections in Rivers State.
Addressing journalists, the Chief Observer, Maria Arena, noted that they came to Nigeria on the invitation of INEC to monitor the elections and make recommendations.She said, “Observers, including EU observers, were denied access to collation centres in Rivers, apparently by military personnel. This lack of access for observers compromises transparency and trust in the process.
She said the EU deployed 73 observers following voting, counting and the collation of results in 22 states.Arena added, “Although election operations improved, the elections were also marked by an overall low turnout and violence, including against election officials and voters. “Positively, in almost all cases, party agents received copies of the result forms, although they were often not displayed. The environment for these elections has been difficult, with cases of violence and intimidation, including attacks on election administration officials.”
Arena also noted misuse of power of incumbency by the governors of the All Progressives Congress and Peoples Democratic a Party on state-owned media houses.She added, “While there can be many reasons for a low turnout, and it is not for me to speculate, it is surely disappointing that overall, only a relatively small portion of what is by far and away Africa’s largest electorate actually cast a vote on both election days.
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