The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Nigerian Federal Government have faced criticism from the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) for disregarding the European Union’s Electoral Report. TMG, a prominent election monitoring group, expressed concern over the dismissal, stating that local observers and civil society groups had raised similar issues regarding gaps in the electoral process in Nigeria.
Auwal Musa-Rasfanjani, the Chairman of TMG, emphasized that the recommendations made by the European Union align with the views of many civil society groups and local observers. He called on the government and INEC to review the recommendations and work towards addressing the gaps in the electoral processes to restore confidence in the system.
Musa-Rasfanjani further highlighted the need for transparent and accountable, free and fair elections in Nigeria to consolidate democracy and achieve good governance. He urged President Bola Tinubu to acknowledge the shortcomings of the electoral process, considering the violence and numerous election petitions currently ongoing in the country. Musa-Rasfanjani called for Tinubu to emulate late President Umar Musa Yar’Adua’s commitment to reform the electoral system.
TMG expressed disappointment in the government and INEC for disregarding the recommendations from the European Union, who were invited to observe the elections. Musa-Rasfanjani believed that by doing so, the wrong message was being conveyed to both local election observers and the international community.
The group insisted that electoral misconduct should not be normalized and called for the government and INEC to take action against electoral corruption and impunity. This, according to TMG, would greatly improve the electoral process and restore integrity.
Musa-Rasfanjani concluded by asserting that both the EU Electoral Report and local election observers’ reports should not be dismissed. Instead, they should be thoroughly examined, and appropriate measures should be taken to ensure free, fair, transparent, and credible elections in Nigeria.
