By John Ikani
Connected Development, CODE, has declared that the governorship and state assembly elections held across Nigeria have been marred by vote-buying, violence, and voter apathy.
Hamza Lawal, who is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of CODE, made this declaration while addressing the media on Saturday, following the conduct of the elections across the country.
According to him, voter inducement occurred more during this Saturday’s elections than the February 25th Presidential and National Assembly elections.
Mr. Lawal described this development as a fallout of the compliance with the Supreme Court’s order for the use of old Naira notes.
In addition, Mr. Lawal also condemned the violence and attacks on voters that occurred in Ebonyi, Lagos, and other states across the country.
He stated that CODE strongly condemns the attack and suppression of voters in many polling units, such as the attack on an accredited Uzabe field observer, Uzodimma Lucy Ogodo, who was brutally attacked for refusing to vote for a particular party in Ebonyi State.
Mr. Lawal further added that the reports of CODE’s field observers show that there were pockets of violence that surfaced in numerous polling units across the country.
For example, in Lagos State, Ojo/Iba LCDA Local Government Area, party hoodlums attacked a polling unit on Princess Eneni Street, Victory Estate, Polling unit code: 091.
He also revealed that the pregnant wife of CODE’s Lagos State Lead was attacked and is currently recuperating. Mr. Lawal promised that CODE would not relent until justice is served.
However, the civil society organization commended the Independent National Electoral Commission, or INEC, for improving on the lapses experienced during the February 25th elections.
Mr. Lawal acknowledged that despite the faults observed, the commission has done well in some areas.
For example, they recorded the early opening of polls in 79% of the polling units observed by CODE as opposed to the less than 30% recorded during the February 25th general elections. He commended the functionality of the BVAS in this election and indicated the commission’s commitment to embracing this new technology in the electioneering process.
In addition, Mr. Lawal lauded the electoral umpire on the uploads of results on the IReV, stating that CODE had noticed that, as of 3:30 pm on the day of the election, some results from various polling units have already been uploaded on the IReV portal.
He affirmed that CODE would continue to watch this progress closely.
