The just concluded off-season governorship elections in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi states have been described as another missed opportunity to deepen democracy and rebuild trust and confidence in the electoral process in the country.
The Chair, Yiaga Africa Watching The Vote (WTV) Working Group, Dr Hussain Abdu, and Executive Director, Yiaga Africa, Samson Itodo, said this on Monday in Abuja at the presentation of its final report on Saturday’s elections in the three states. He, however, said INEC’s prompt response to the report of cases of pre-filled results sheets (EC8A) in Kogi State was impressive. He urged INEC to thoroughly investigate all the allegations of malpractice and misapplication of election laws and guidelines and remediate all the flaws, including prosecuting its staff found complicit.
On its part, the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) condemned what it termed the abuse of power by incumbency across the three states.
The Chair, Centre for Democracy and Development – Election Analysis Centre (CDD-EAC), Prof. Adele Jinadu, also frowned at the late arrival of electoral materials in some areas, malfunction of the Biometric Verification Automated System (BVAS) and disinformation that characterised the elections.
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In its final report on the elections, the CDD also flayed the identity factor in the elections, which assumed different forms, including a sense of identity that assumed the form of the ethnic configuration in the three states.
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