The European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) says it observed widespread violence, vote buying and other anomalies during the just concluded supplementary governorship elections on 23 March.
The European Union, in its report, said most of its observers were denied access to polling units in Kano where party agents were said to have harassed voters and disrupt the voting process.
“The environment was intimidating and not conducive to voters’ free participation in the election. Party leadership locally and centrally did not appear to take any steps to rein in supporters and prevent evident violence, intimidation or other misconduct”.
The EU Observers berated INEC over its silence on the electoral disturbances during the supplementary elections in some states.
The observers expressed concern that during the collation in Kano, several INEC polling staff were attacked, while large groups of men with weapons were not contained by the police.
“This compromised scrutiny of both polling and collation of results in the affected areas. Isolated violent incidents also disrupted voting and counting in other states. In Bauchi, EU observers witnessed around 50 people with clubs disrupting counting in one polling unit.
“In Benue, election materials were burnt, resulting in the cancellation of polling affecting 13,000 registered voters, and a collation officer carrying result sheets was shot in the leg,” the report said.
It also noted that polling and collation procedures party agents were seen to interfere more in the process than on the previous two election days. Some polling units in Kano were dominated by controlling party agents and supporters.
“Of the 40 polling units that EU teams could fully observe, agents were present in all and in five cases were seen interfering in the work of polling officials, in Benue, Plateau and Sokoto,” the EU observers noted.
“EU observers in all five states also saw party agents trying to influence voters, assisting voters or voting on their behalf. Supporters and agents were sometimes present in polling units in excessive numbers, resulting in overcrowding,” the report read.
Other issues the EU expressed concern about was vote buying.
“EU observers also saw vote-buying in Sokoto by both the leading parties and indications of vote-buying in Kano. Citizen observers also reported party agents involved in vote buying and bribery of polling staff and police.”