The European Union Election Observer Mission (EU EOM) monitoring the 2023 general election in Nigeria has criticized the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for multiple failures during the presidential election held on February 25. The EU EOM highlighted operational deficiencies, lack of transparency, and other issues as the causes of INEC's failures. INEC, in response, defended the conduct of the election, emphasizing the positive aspects despite the challenges.
Barry Andrews, the EU chief observer,
presented the Mission's final report, stating that the election exposed
systemic weaknesses and necessitates legal and operational reforms to enhance
transparency, inclusiveness, and accountability. While Andrews acknowledged
some improvements, such as the use of technology like the Bimodal Voter
Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Results Viewing Portal (IReV), he
lamented that the election did not meet the standards of a well-run,
transparent, and inclusive democratic process as promised by INEC.
Andrews highlighted that during the
presidential election, INEC suffered significant harm to the public's trust,
which was not addressed before the March 18 state elections.leading civil
society organizations to call for an independent audit of the entire process.
He pointed out the gradual decrease in public confidence due to INEC's
operational failures and lack of transparency, despite some corrective measures
taken.
The introduction of BVAS and IReV was seen
as important for ensuring the integrity of the elections, but in practice,
there were missteps and lack of transparency leading up to the polls, which
eroded trust in the election technologies used. INEC's failure to provide a
timely and comprehensive explanation for the failures on February 25 further
fuelled speculation.
The EU EOM provided 23 recommendations to
contribute to the improvement of future elections in Nigeria, with six priority
recommendations focusing on removing ambiguities in the law, establishing a
publicly accountable selection process for INEC members, ensuring real-time
publication of election results, protecting media practitioners, addressing
discrimination against women in politics, and punishing electoral offenses.
The EU EOM also highlighted the occurrence
of 101 violent incidents during the campaign, resulting in at least 74
fatalities. Assassination attempts and killings escalated closer to the
election, creating an insecure environment, particularly in southern and some
northern states.