NBA backs supplementary election
NBA backs supplementary election
The NBA said the election was characterised by logistic challenges.
The Nigeria Bar Association Election Working Group, NBA-EWG, said it supports the conduct of a supplementary election in some parts of Anambra State because many voters in the November 16 governorship poll in the state were disenfranchised.
The group, in its report on the election, said the disenfranchisement of the voters was largely caused by the late arrival of materials at the polling units.
It said Awka and Idemili North and South Local Government Areas were the most affected by the late arrival of the materials.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had last Friday confirmed that it would organise a supplementary election in the state on November 30.
INEC Chairman, Attahiru Jega, who stated this at a press conference in Abuja, said the Commission would not cancel the controversial election as demanded by some political parties because there was no sufficient evidence to support the call.
In the report signed by its Chairman, Dafe Akpedeye, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, the EWG said the late arrival of election materials and the cancellation of results in other local government areas, LGAs, could substantially affect the overall result of the election.
Among the areas results were cancelled, according to the group were Ayamelum, Anambra East, Anambra West, Anaocha, Awka North, Aguata, Idemili North, Idemili South, Nnewi South, Ekwusigo, Onitsha North, Onitsha South, Orumba North and Oyi.
It said, "In the light of these cancellations can we then say that elections were held in Anambra State and if yes, were they free and fair?
"Materials got to most part of Anambra central senatorial district late in most areas and even after accreditation in others parts. This was more apparent in Awka and Idemili north and south LGAs.
"We do believe that these anomalies had effect on the results, as most voters were disenfranchised. That having regard of the number of registered voters in this area, we believe that it can substantially affect the overall result. Therefore, supplementary election should be conducted in those areas."
The EWG, which deployed 30 observers who covered all the 21 LGAs in the state, said it observed that voters' accreditation for the election which was scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. also commenced late in some local government areas as the polling units (PU) were not set up early.
It said this was attributable to late arrival of INEC officials and materials for the election.
According to the group, at places it visited in Idemili North Local Government such as Ogidi Ward, while accreditation started between 8:00am – 8:30 am, it was not so in Awka South Local Government Area particularly at Umunono Hall PU/007 & 008, where up till 10:30 a.m. no INEC official nor voting materials had arrived.
It also said that In Idemili North Local Government Area, in Awada Primary School, PU 003 and Nwaziki Playground PU 004, as at 9:45am, no INEC officer had arrived at the PUs; so also at Nkpor Junction PU 010, 011, 012, 013. It added that in some PUs visited in Onitsha South Local Government, accreditation started early.
The EWG said it also observed that in some of the PUs visited, particularly in Aguata LGA, some of the voters came with cards that had a different picture from that in the voters register.
The group said though voting commenced almost immediately after accreditation in most of the PUs it visited and voters conducted themselves properly and in an orderly manner, the turnout was relatively poor especially when compared to the number of voters in each PU in Anambra State.
It stated that the counting process was done in a participatory manner in all the locations it observed, saying this showed some level of transparency in the different polling units observed.
The group said the results were declared after the counting of the ballot papers by the Presiding Officers in the various polling units after which they were entered into the result sheet and signed by party agents before pasting on the wall of the polling station in accordance with INEC regulations.
It commended the security arrangement during the election, stressing that in most of the polling units, its team of observers recorded a minimum of three security agents comprising of the police and civil defence corps, in each polling units.
The EWG, however, said the election generally recorded a poor turnout of voters, especially when compared to the number of registered voters in the voters' register.
It also said that in some cases in some of the polling units visited the NYSC ad-hoc staff refused to work because they had not been paid while some of the polling units were haphazardly located, notably in the outskirts.
The group called on INEC to improve in its deployment of electoral materials and officials to polling units even as it noted that civic education was lacking on the part of INEC and the political parties.
"We noted that there were instances of elderly and illiterate persons going to cast votes without a clue as to who was being voted for and for what purpose.
"The election was generally peaceful, but it was marred by a lot of logistics challenges which INEC has to look into.
The EWG further recommended the amendment of the Electoral Act, 2010 to give Presiding Officers the direction to create separate queue for senior citizens.
"Some senior citizens had a hectic time coping with younger elements on the queue even though they were allowed in some instances to have the first go. Some of them could hardly withstand the harsh weather and the surging crowds in some of the polling units," it stated in the report.
"The creation of a separate queue for senior citizens will encourage them to remain engaged with the electoral process and continue to perform their civic responsibility."
The EWG also asked INEC to accelerate the process of constituency delineation, stating that some of the PUs were located in front of or too close to residential buildings despite the availability of schools and other public places near such dwellings.
It further asked INEC to move towards the use of Electronic Voting Machines, EVM, for elections as the Commission had indicated that it had the capacity to use such process, which it used to collate results in the collating centres.
The NBA said the election was characterised by logistic challenges.
The Nigeria Bar Association Election Working Group, NBA-EWG, said it supports the conduct of a supplementary election in some parts of Anambra State because many voters in the November 16 governorship poll in the state were disenfranchised.
The group, in its report on the election, said the disenfranchisement of the voters was largely caused by the late arrival of materials at the polling units.
It said Awka and Idemili North and South Local Government Areas were the most affected by the late arrival of the materials.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had last Friday confirmed that it would organise a supplementary election in the state on November 30.
INEC Chairman, Attahiru Jega, who stated this at a press conference in Abuja, said the Commission would not cancel the controversial election as demanded by some political parties because there was no sufficient evidence to support the call.
In the report signed by its Chairman, Dafe Akpedeye, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, the EWG said the late arrival of election materials and the cancellation of results in other local government areas, LGAs, could substantially affect the overall result of the election.
Among the areas results were cancelled, according to the group were Ayamelum, Anambra East, Anambra West, Anaocha, Awka North, Aguata, Idemili North, Idemili South, Nnewi South, Ekwusigo, Onitsha North, Onitsha South, Orumba North and Oyi.
It said, "In the light of these cancellations can we then say that elections were held in Anambra State and if yes, were they free and fair?
"Materials got to most part of Anambra central senatorial district late in most areas and even after accreditation in others parts. This was more apparent in Awka and Idemili north and south LGAs.
"We do believe that these anomalies had effect on the results, as most voters were disenfranchised. That having regard of the number of registered voters in this area, we believe that it can substantially affect the overall result. Therefore, supplementary election should be conducted in those areas."
The EWG, which deployed 30 observers who covered all the 21 LGAs in the state, said it observed that voters' accreditation for the election which was scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. also commenced late in some local government areas as the polling units (PU) were not set up early.
It said this was attributable to late arrival of INEC officials and materials for the election.
According to the group, at places it visited in Idemili North Local Government such as Ogidi Ward, while accreditation started between 8:00am – 8:30 am, it was not so in Awka South Local Government Area particularly at Umunono Hall PU/007 & 008, where up till 10:30 a.m. no INEC official nor voting materials had arrived.
It also said that In Idemili North Local Government Area, in Awada Primary School, PU 003 and Nwaziki Playground PU 004, as at 9:45am, no INEC officer had arrived at the PUs; so also at Nkpor Junction PU 010, 011, 012, 013. It added that in some PUs visited in Onitsha South Local Government, accreditation started early.
The EWG said it also observed that in some of the PUs visited, particularly in Aguata LGA, some of the voters came with cards that had a different picture from that in the voters register.
The group said though voting commenced almost immediately after accreditation in most of the PUs it visited and voters conducted themselves properly and in an orderly manner, the turnout was relatively poor especially when compared to the number of voters in each PU in Anambra State.
It stated that the counting process was done in a participatory manner in all the locations it observed, saying this showed some level of transparency in the different polling units observed.
The group said the results were declared after the counting of the ballot papers by the Presiding Officers in the various polling units after which they were entered into the result sheet and signed by party agents before pasting on the wall of the polling station in accordance with INEC regulations.
It commended the security arrangement during the election, stressing that in most of the polling units, its team of observers recorded a minimum of three security agents comprising of the police and civil defence corps, in each polling units.
The EWG, however, said the election generally recorded a poor turnout of voters, especially when compared to the number of registered voters in the voters' register.
It also said that in some cases in some of the polling units visited the NYSC ad-hoc staff refused to work because they had not been paid while some of the polling units were haphazardly located, notably in the outskirts.
The group called on INEC to improve in its deployment of electoral materials and officials to polling units even as it noted that civic education was lacking on the part of INEC and the political parties.
"We noted that there were instances of elderly and illiterate persons going to cast votes without a clue as to who was being voted for and for what purpose.
"The election was generally peaceful, but it was marred by a lot of logistics challenges which INEC has to look into.
The EWG further recommended the amendment of the Electoral Act, 2010 to give Presiding Officers the direction to create separate queue for senior citizens.
"Some senior citizens had a hectic time coping with younger elements on the queue even though they were allowed in some instances to have the first go. Some of them could hardly withstand the harsh weather and the surging crowds in some of the polling units," it stated in the report.
"The creation of a separate queue for senior citizens will encourage them to remain engaged with the electoral process and continue to perform their civic responsibility."
The EWG also asked INEC to accelerate the process of constituency delineation, stating that some of the PUs were located in front of or too close to residential buildings despite the availability of schools and other public places near such dwellings.
It further asked INEC to move towards the use of Electronic Voting Machines, EVM, for elections as the Commission had indicated that it had the capacity to use such process, which it used to collate results in the collating centres.
NBA backs supplementary election
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