Skip to main content

VIP’s did not conduct themselves well during elections - CDD laments over high profile disruption of polls

- The CDD has condemned the disruption of the electoral process by some notable political office holders

- The centre’s chairman, Adele Jinadu, said that there were high profile incidents of disruption of voting processes in some states

- The CDD also noted that significant logistical challenges marred the conduct of the elections in many parts of the country

- Jinadu condemned the outbreak of violence in certain places; adding that the secrecy of the ballot was violated and voters cast their ballot in full public view in some polling units

The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) on Monday, February 25 in Abuja condemned the disruption of the electoral process by some notable political office holders.

Prof Adele Jinadu, chairman, Election Analysis Centre (EAC), CDD, while releasing the group’s final election report said that VIPs did not conduct themselves well in spite of the warning from Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), NAN reports.

READ ALSO: APC’s Bulkachuwa wins Bauchi North senatorial election

Legit.ng gathers that Jinadu said that there were high profile incidents of disruption of voting processes through the abuse of the power of incumbency in some states such as Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Imo, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos and Rivers, where huge supporters escorted politicians to the polling units.

He said: “The elections provided further illustration of the anti-democratic political culture of the country’s mainstream political class, through their engagement in various forms of political brigandage and their do-or-die attitude to elections.

“If the ordinary citizens are the winners of these elections, the underlying zero-sum attitude and approach of the country’s mainstream political class leaves a great deal to be desired.’’

According to Jinadu, CDD deployed more than 35,00 field observers across the country for the 2019 presidential and National Assembly elections and also set up an analysis centre to counter fake news.

He said that CCD observed that the conduct of the elections went on smoothly in most parts of the country, with ad-hoc staff arriving on time, but that significant logistical challenges marred the conduct of the elections in many parts of the country.

“For example, ballot papers were insufficient in some polling units, while in others there were lack of other sensitive and non-sensitive materials, such as indelible ink, ballots, or result sheets,” he said.

He said that smart card readers remained one of the most vital integrity checks of elections in Nigeria, though some failed but generally most of them worked well.

He expressed concern, however, that in a number of polling units where the card readers malfunctioned voting proceeded without use of the machines.

Jinadu said that adequate security personnel were generally deployed for duty in many polling units but that there were instances of disruption such as in Lagos and Imo, where no security agent was either present or able to protect electoral officials and voters.

He said that on Election Day, Nigerians woke to the news that there had been bomb blast and the insecurity situation led to the relocation of voters from Gujba to Damaturu to cast their votes, and that similarly, voters in Madagali were also relocated to a safe location in Adamawa to cast their votes.

Jinadu said that the analysis centre noted with dismay, the violence that marred the polls in some areas in Lagos, Ebonyi, Imo, Rivers, Osun, Oyo, Delta, Kogi and Akwa Ibom.

According to him, the group surmised that more than twenty people have so far been confirmed killed on election day while ballot box snatching, voting disruption severely dampened morale in Lagos and some of the states mentioned.

He said that the secrecy of the ballot was violated, and voters cast their ballot in full public view in some polling units, where polling booths were not cordoned off or cubicles provided to ensure secrecy of the vote.

He listed other electoral malpractices reported by observers to include harassment of voters by thugs, arrest of observers by security agents, snatching of ballot boxes, stuffing of ballot papers.

PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigeria’s #1 news app

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that an independent group in Akwa Ibom state, Akwa Ibom Progressives Coalition, claimed that the conduct of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials and other security agencies in the presidential and National Assembly elections in many areas of the state marred the polls.

The group described elections in the state as, “shambolic, disgraceful, and completely unbecoming of election umpires in any elections in any part of the world in the 21st century.”

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng: Same great journalism, upgraded for better service!

2019 Election: We are retrogressing in Nigeria - 83-old-man - on Legit TV:

Source: Legit.ng



from Nigeria News today & Breaking Naija news ▷ Read on Legit.ng 24/7 https://ift.tt/2Ss67wn
via EDUPEDIA24/7

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

These funny food quotes will make you laugh like crazy

Food is not only an essential part of the daily routine but also the most exciting one. We cannot imagine our life without something yummy. How do you make ordinary eating fun and unforgettable? We bring to your attention amazing food quotes which will definitely make you smile. Image: unsplash.com (modified by author) Source: UGC Are you looking for interesting ideas to entertain your interlocutor while having lunch at work or family dinner? Then this article is definitely for you! Good food quotes Below are food quotes, aphorisms and witty statements. This is an exciting and extraordinary collection of the top "pearls of wisdom" on this topic. Here you can find funny jokes and sayings, intelligent thoughts of philosophers and original words of great thinkers and inspiring statuses from social networks, as well as many other things. The best appetite comes without food. I love calories. They are dаmn tasty. An empty stomach is the Devil's playground. Have bre
Post a Comment
Read more

The Transitional Phase of African Poetry

The Transitional Phase The second phase, which we have chosen to call transitional, is represented by the poetry of writers like Abioseh Nicol, Gabriel Okara, Kwesi Brew, Dennis Brutus, Lenrie Peters and Joseph Kariuki. This is poetry which is written by people we normally refer to as modem and who may be thought of as belonging to the third phase. The characteristics of this poetry are its competent and articulate use of the received European language, its unforced grasp of Africa’s physical, cultural and socio-political environment and often its lyricism. To distinguish this type of poetry we have to refer back to the concept of appropriation we introduced earlier. At the simplest and basic level, the cultural mandate of possessing a people’s piece of the earth involves a mental and emotional homecoming within the physical environment. Poems like Brew’s ‘‘Dry season”, Okara’s “Call of the River Nun”, Nicol’s “The meaning of Africa” and Soyinka’s “Season”, to give a few examples,
Post a Comment
Read more

The pioneering phase of African Poetry

The pioneering phase We have called the first phase that of the pioneers. But since the phrase “pioneer poets” has often been used of writers of English expression like Osadebay, Casely-Hayford and Dei-Anag, we should point out that our “pioneer phase” also includes Negritude poets of French expression. The poetry of this phase is that of writers in “exile” keenly aware of being colonials, whose identity was under siege. It is a poetry of protest against exploitation and racial discrimination, of agitation for political independence, of nostalgic evocation of Africa’s past and visions of her future. However, although these were themes common to poets of both English and French expression, the obvious differences between the Francophone poets and the Anglophone writers of the 1930s and 1940s have been generally noted. Because of the intensity with which they felt their physical exile from Africa, coupled with their exposure to the experimental contemporary modes of writing in F
Post a Comment
Read more