A political think tank affiliated with the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) has recommended that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) extend the voting period to ensure that all eligible voters have the opportunity to cast their ballots. This recommendation follows the organization’s observation data, which revealed that 98.8 percent of polling units lacked a Bimodal Voter Accreditation System device. Additionally, there were reports of various glitches during the accreditation process, contributing to delays in voting, particularly in areas such as Borno State.
Prof. Adele Jinadu, chair of the CDD Election Analysis Centre, made this recommendation in a preliminary statement regarding the conduct of the February 2023 Presidential and National Assembly Elections. The statement provided an overview of the CDD-EAC’s findings based on data collected and analyzed by observers up to 1 PM on election day. It primarily addressed two of the five ‘I’s identified in the EAC’s launch report: Insecurity and Institutions. Jinadu noted reports of violence and voter suppression in certain regions and emphasized the importance of gathering more information on these issues from field observers. Overall, he commended Nigerians for their participation and peaceful conduct but acknowledged growing frustration among voters regarding the speed of the voting process.
Jinadu encouraged voters to remain patient while casting their ballots and to prevent any disruptions to the electoral process. He reiterated the call for INEC to extend the voting period in areas where voting started late or had not commenced. Furthermore, he urged security agencies to maintain neutrality in their actions on election day and commended INEC for its responsive communication with voters and key stakeholders.
The observer data indicated that many poll officials arrived late to their respective polling units on election day. Nationwide, nearly 50 percent of INEC officials arrived on time for the commencement of the voting process. However, the South East and South South regions recorded the lowest percentages, with only 10 percent and 27 percent of poll officials arriving on time, respectively. In contrast, the North East saw 42 percent of officials arriving punctually, while the North West, North Central, and South West regions exceeded 50 percent. Notably, Lagos, which has the highest number of registered voters, recorded only 18 percent of timely arrivals among INEC officials. The average opening time across the country was 9:25 AM, which is a full hour after the scheduled start of polling.
On average, CDD-EAC observations indicated that INEC officials arrived to set up and commence the voting process between 9:30 and 10:30 AM at the polling units observed. In the South East, the average time for polls to open was 10:56 AM, with reports of several polling stations not opening even by 12:30 PM. In many instances, observers noted that security officials arrived at polling stations while INEC officials had yet to arrive to open the polls.
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