By Rasaq Adebayo
International Police Chaplain Sustainable Development And Law Enforcement, Inc. has commended Nigeria for conducting peaceful 2023 elections, stating that the participants including the voters, the Independent National Electoral Commission, domestic and foreign observers, civil society organizations, and various political parties were being democratic.
In a statement, the Head of the IPCSL Election Observation Mission in Nigeria during the gubernatorial and State house of assembly elections, Johaness Makouvia, said women participants were lower.
The statement read: “We would like first and foremost, to commend all those who made these gubernatorial and House of Assembly elections possible: the Independent National Electoral Commission, domestic and foreign observers, civil society organizations, various political parties, and above all, the Nigerian people themselves. All of them have shown the spirit of patriotism and democracy.
“IPCSL’s purpose in being in Nigeria is to assess the integrity, credibility, and transparency of March 18, 2023, gubernatorial and House of Assembly elections as well as any other INEC accredited organizations.
“Our mission deployed 182 election observers in all 36 states and each of the six (06) geo-political zones of the country. The observers met with stakeholders active in their areas of deployment and observed voting and counting operations.
“As working tools, our agents used touch tablets and laptops. They observed the opening, voting, closing, and counting operations in the different polling stations in their deployment zones. A debriefing session was organized at the end of the election day to deliver the observation report to the Mission’s management team.
“The March 18, 2023 gubernatorial and the house of assembly elections come exactly three weeks after the February 25 presidential, legislative, and senatorial elections and were held against a socio-political backdrop of high-security threats in some parts of the country such as the north, northeast, and south.
Among the political parties contesting the elections were the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Labour Party (LP), the New Nigerian People Party (NNPP), the Social Democratic Party (SDP), and the Young Programme Party (YPP).
“On the day of the vote, the IPCSL Mission generally found that election officials were trained in voting procedures and that election materials were mobilized as required by the Electoral Code of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Also, the respect of the provision related to the secrecy of the vote was noted: each polling station is equipped with a polling booth.
“As for the electoral participation, the attendance in the polling stations commemorated did not know a very large mobilization globally. At this level, we would like to remind you that gender equity is prescribed by the Nigerian Constitution and enshrined in the Electoral Act.
“For the governors’ election of last Saturday, the participation of women represents 39.3% of the members of the polling stations observed; 32% of the delegates of the candidates and 19% of the national observer met in the polling stations by our Mission.
“About security, we noted the visible presence of the security forces in the various voting centers, which allowed for the peaceful conduct of the vote and an overall orderly turnout, without any major incidents involving voters.
“On voting day, our mission visited 2117 polling stations throughout the country. Most polling stations opened at the official time (8:30 a.m.); some were late in opening. This had an impact on the closing time.
“The IPCSL mission found that candidate delegates were able to carry out their duties freely in the polling stations observed, which is a sign of political maturity that contributed to the normal functioning of the polling stations.
“However, it should be noted that elections in Victoria Garden City (VGC) and a town in Kano were postponed to March 19 due to an agreement between the electoral commission and local stakeholders. Similarly, some acts of violence were recorded in Lagos State. These acts of incivility are by no means to be encouraged and do not show the exemplary character of the citizens who perpetrated these acts.
“Therefore, the IPCSL Mission reminds all sons and daughters of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that they remain the main actors in the development of their country and therefore, have an imperative to be natives of peace in all the states of their nation.
“Today, and from now on, the spirit of tolerance and living together must be the leitmotiv of every citizen so that these acts are never repeated in Nigeria.
“We recommend that INEC continue to interact with political parties and civil society organizations to strengthen the national social fabric.
“In any case, candidates and political actors are urged to resort to legal channels in case of contestation and to privilege political dialogue in all circumstances to sustain social peace.
“As a key player in social cohesion, especially during the electoral period, civil society should pool its resources for optimal observation of the electoral process. It should pursue civic education and citizen sensitization to strengthen inclusive participation in these major republican events.
“We suggest that the federal government take the necessary measures to ensure greater mobilization throughout the electoral process. The IPCSL mission commends the Nigerian people, the central government, political actors, and all stakeholders in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It urges them to continue to work to preserve peace and stability to consolidate democracy and the rule of law, especially in a challenging socio-political context.
“The Mission is awaiting the proclamation of the final results by INEC and strongly hopes that they will reflect the will of the ballot box. It welcomes good collaboration between various international missions. Likewise, it salutes the quality of the exchanges it has had with national actors.
Long live Nigerian democracy!”