The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) says that violence undermined the improved conduct of the governorship and houses of assembly elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Adele Jinadu, chair of the Election Analysis Centre (EAC), said this while presenting the report for the centre’s post-election findings in Abuja.

Mr Jinadu said that the combination of violence, vote buying, online and offline intimidation of voters, disinformation and decreased citizens’ trust in INEC challenged the elections.

He said the pro-democracy think tank findings came from the data of its 1,200 observers deployed to keep a close watch on the electoral process.

“Diminished trust in INEC as an institution will shape wider perceptions when it comes to the acceptance of the results returned, particularly in races where a narrow margin of victory is recorded or where presidential results are not replicated at the sub-national level,” the EAC chair noted. “CDD in the post-election analysis also put the spotlight on the mind-boggling violence, which affected the elections; as data showed violence occurred in 10.8 per cent of polling units observed.”

The CDD pointed out that voter suppression, voter intimidation and the destruction or theft of election materials predominantly by political party agents and politically aligned thugs were recorded across the six geopolitical zones.

At least 10.8 per cent of observed polling units recorded violence and or fighting, most pronounced in the North-West (19.9 per cent) and South-South (11.6 per cent) geopolitical zones, with Bayelsa and Zamfara with the most incidents “recorded by our observers,” said Mr Jinadu.

Joe Abah, a member of the EAC, said CDD drew attention to the threat or actual unleashing of violence, which manifested in online and offline tactics to scare off or drive away voters from the polls.

Mr Abah stated that political actors deployed violence, not only offline but also online, through identity to drive misinformation and disinformation on social media.

He explained that these disruptive activities caused a multiplier effect, further reducing voters’ appetite to cast their ballots.

“Even though some efforts were made, where possible, to hold polls the following day, for example, there were also attacks directed at or threats made toward ad hoc INEC staff with one shot in Cross River and more than 10 kidnapped after voting in Imo state,” Mr Abah revealed.

He added, “Journalists reporting on the election in Lagos, Rivers and Ogun, domestic election observers and other party agents were not left out.”

The EAC member also mentioned that the implications of the anomalies witnessed during the polls for Nigeria’s democracy and development, a wave of post-election litigations would probably come.

“This has the added effect of seeing courts have a role in determining ‘elected’ officials, further undermining voters’ sense that their vote is valued and has an impact on the outcome of an election process,” he noted.

CDD director Idayat Hassan pointed out that there was a need for Nigerians to become more resistant to building accountability in the electoral system.

Ms Hassan expressed concern over the recurring electoral malpractices in Nigeria’s elections and called for deliberate actions to stop them. She also highlighted violence against women at polling units in Lagos, Kano, and Bauchi for expressing their choice or associating with a candidate.

(NAN)