Presidential election: Investigate every infraction, redeem yourself – Group to INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has been requested by the Chen Education and Development Empowerment, CEDE, group to investigate several infractions noted during the Presidential elections and penalize those found guilty of any infractions.

The group claimed that its appeal came as a result of credible claims of fraud and violence during voting in numerous states following the presidential election.

At a news conference, the group’s executive director, Cynthia Anaele, stressed that while democracy is still the best option for Nigeria, it must not just be transparent but also be seen to be so.

By making sure that the future elections for the governorship and state assembly are free, fair, and credible, Anaele charged INEC with doing more to repair its reputation.

She highlighted that young people from Nigeria turned out in large numbers to vote after INEC promised to post election results from polling places in real time to its server, but she raised concern that INEC did not adhere to its own guidelines.

Young People believed INEC to uphold and abide by its own regulations, but what they witnessed on election day contradicted INEC’s pledges. “INEC had informed Nigerians that it was prepared to conduct a free, fair, and credible election that all will be proud of.

In numerous locations, supplies or election workers showed up late or did not show up at all, among other diverse errors by the electoral authority.

Ad-hoc INEC workers frequently lacked necessary supplies, such as ink or ballot paper, and in some polling units, there was only one BVAS, which presented difficulties given the large number of registered voters in those units.

There were reports of assaults on INEC officials, election materials, and security breaches, as well as violent occurrences and voter suppression in numerous states. She stressed that despite all of INEC’s pledges, the organization was unable to promptly update the iRev Portal so that citizens could track the results of the election.

The group was concerned that despite all the irregularities, the election board went ahead and declared a winner, asserting that he met all requirements.

However, it encouraged INEC to address the issue with the BVAS and its iRev portal as soon as possible, stressing that the legitimacy of any government that results from an electoral system depends on the integrity of the electoral system.

In advance of the gubernatorial and state assembly elections, CEDE urged politicians to refrain from statements and acts that would escalate unrest throughout the nation.