The Chairperson of the Commonwealth Observer Group and former President of South Africa, His Excellency Thabo Mbeki, has called on aggrieved political candidates to seek legal redress. He made this statement in Abuja on Monday while presenting the preliminary report of the Commonwealth Observation Group. The observers were deployed across the Federal Capital Territory and several states, including Benue, Edo, Kano, Lagos, Ondo, Rivers, and Sokoto, to monitor the presidential and National Assembly elections. Their observations included the processes of accreditation, voting, counting, and results aggregation.
Mbeki encouraged citizens to exercise patience and allow the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to complete the results process peacefully. He emphasized, “We call on all those with grievances to address disputes through prescribed legal channels. The time now is for restraint and continued patience as we await the final results.” He noted that, despite facing administrative and logistical challenges at many polling units, the election was largely peaceful. Mbeki commended the commitment and patience displayed by registered voters, stating, “We congratulate all Nigerians for their determination, patience, and resilience throughout the electoral process.”
Additionally, Mbeki acknowledged the improvements brought about by the new Electoral Act enacted in 2022. This legislation provided the electoral commission with greater autonomy, legal backing for the use of electronic voter accreditation, and frameworks for the inclusion of people with disabilities in the electoral process, among other enhancements. The Commonwealth Observer Group was constituted by the Commonwealth Secretary-General, the Rt. Hon Patricia Scotland KC, at the invitation of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission. Before departing Nigeria on March 2, the group will finalize its report, which will include recommendations to be submitted to the Commonwealth Secretary-General at a later date.
Meanwhile, the African Union (AU) and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Observation Missions urged INEC to expedite the uploading of election results to its portal. They asserted that timely results uploading would ensure the credibility of the electoral process. The leader of the AU delegation, former President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, along with former President Ernest Koroma of Sierra Leone, who leads the ECOWAS delegation, provided a briefing on the preliminary report of the elections on Monday. Koroma emphasized the importance of improved communication from INEC to prevent speculation, disinformation, and fake news. He stated, “All we can do at this stage, as reflected in the preliminary report, is urge INEC to enhance communication with the public and political parties. We also recommend improvements in the counting and collation methods and a review of the uploading process, as these were systems that INEC promised to implement without difficulties.”
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