Nigeria’s 2023 general elections were “largely peaceful” despite administrative and logistical hurdles at many polling units, according to an independent group of Commonwealth observers.
The Chairperson of the Commonwealth Observer Group, former President of South Africa H.E. Thabo Mbeki, delivered his team’s preliminary assessment of the electoral process at a press conference in Abuja on 27 February, saying: “Nigerians were largely accorded the right to vote.”
Addressing the journalists, President Mbeki said: “We congratulate all Nigerians for their determination, patience and resilience displayed throughout the electoral process.”
As Nigeria waits for the final results, he encouraged all citizens to exercise patience to allow the country’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and its staff to conclude the results process peacefully.
“We call on all those with grievances to address disputes through prescribed legal channels,” President Thabo Mbeki said. “The time now is for restraint and continued patience as we await the final results.”
He commended the commitment shown by voters, despite the late arrival of election officials and materials at many polling units, technical issues with biometric identification machines in some cases, and delays with the live results transmission system.
President Mbeki also praised the polling officials for conducting their duties diligently, while noting some inconsistencies in procedures, particularly in the positioning of some polling booths which compromised the secrecy of the ballot as well as lack of advance voting for those deployed on election day.
Delivering the group’s preliminary assessment, he expressed that as voting hours extended into the night due to late openings, some polling units were ill-equipped with proper lighting to facilitate voting and counting in the dark.
The President noted the challenges and encouraged the Electoral Commission to conduct a thorough post-election review of the electoral process to learn lessons and consider establishing appropriate mechanisms to implement the Observers’ recommendations. .
The Chair also noted the passing of a new elections law in 2022 that would give election commissions more autonomy, legal support for the use of electronic voter verification, and a framework for including people with disabilities in elections. Other improvements were also pointed out.
However, given the low proportion of female candidates, the group was impressed by the “active participation” in the election, including young people as pollsters.
Federal observers were stationed in the states of Benue, Edo, Kano, Lagos, Ondo, Rivers, Sokoto and the Federal Capital Territory.
They met with election officials and observers to observe accreditation, voting, tallying, and summaries of results, and to get a more complete picture of how the election process was going. The Commonwealth Observer Group was formed by the Commonwealth Secretary General Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC at the invitation of the Independent National Electoral Commission of Nigeria.
Before leaving Nigeria on March 2, the group will complete a final report and present recommendations that will be submitted to the Federal Secretary General at a later date.
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