Nigeria’s opposition parties called the election a “sham” and demanded a new vote: NPR

Protesters accuse the election commission of irregularities and disenfranchisement in downtown Abuja, Nigeria.

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Protesters accuse the election commission of irregularities and disenfranchisement in downtown Abuja, Nigeria.

Ben Curtis/AP

ABUJA, Nigeria — Nigeria’s main opposition parties are calling for the country’s presidential election to be rescheduled, saying Saturday’s vote was marred by violence and fraud and that they had lost confidence trust the electoral authorities.

Election observers have reported widespread failures by the electoral commission and long delays in results, causing distrust in the process. While voting was undisturbed in some areas, some vote centers across the country were open hours late, and in some areas, voting had not taken place as of Tuesday. Violent attacks and intimidation of voters also damaged polls in some areas and disenfranchised voters.

The race in Africa’s most populous country is one of the most unpredictable and fierce in years, with three outstanding candidates. It comes at a pivotal time for the country, after eight dismal years in which the economy suffered and insecurity became rife under outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari.

Buhari’s All Progressive Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is currently leading with 39%, according to school entrance exam results with votes still being counted. People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Atiku Abubakar was second and Labor Party’s Peter Obi was third.

At a press conference in the capital Abuja on Tuesday, representatives of the PDP, Labor and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) were harsh about the election.

An election worker holds up ballots as they are counted at a polling station in Lagos, Nigeria

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An election worker holds up ballots as they are counted at a polling station in Lagos, Nigeria

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The parties said they had no confidence in the electoral process or the Independent National Election Commission (INEC) and call for removal of its president.

“This process has been irreparably damaged and we have lost confidence in the whole process,” Labor Party chairman Julius Aure said. “We demand that this sham election be annulled immediately and that new elections be announced.”

They allege there was large-scale vote manipulation and that a new electronic system designed to consolidate and speed up the voting process was compromised. They also allege that the photographic evidence of vote counting, uploaded by local INEC officials from each polling station, contained irregularities.

Based on Check out Africaa fact-checking news site, some of the results uploaded to INEC have been supported by false evidence from completely different voting units.

On Tuesday, INEC president Mahmood Yakubu said: “Let me seize this opportunity to assure the people of Nigeria that we will do whatever we can within the scope of the law to look into the issues. arising out of the conduct of the election. To review when a review is absolutely necessary.”

The Two-Way Voter Recognition System (BVAS) first used in presidential elections has been hailed by the election commission as an innovative method for voter verification, using facial recognition and biometric data, and a faster way for election officials to post results. INEC has promised to upload votes directly from each polling station to its website, and that will improve the reliability of the results.

But many results were not uploaded for nearly a day after the polls ended. Opposition parties blamed the delay on political pressure on local INEC officials to skew the results.

governance The APC says the polls are reliable and declares its candidate likely to be the winner.

A protester holds two Nigerian flags as he and others accuse the electoral commission of irregularities and disenfranchisement of voters during a protest in downtown Abuja, Nigeria.

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A protester holds two Nigerian flags as he and others accuse the electoral commission of irregularities and disenfranchisement of voters during a protest in downtown Abuja, Nigeria.

Ben Curtis/AP

Election monitoring from the European Union said in a statement“lack of transparency and operational failure have undermined trust in the process and challenged voting rights.”

On Sunday, INEC say it regrets a “technical glitch” it blamed on slow results uploading to its viewport and said it wasn’t due to any “intrusion or vandalism”.

Violent incidents, looting of ballot boxes and intimidation of voters also affected voting in several areas, including Lagos, the commercial capital, central Kogi state and the oil-rich southern state of Rivers.

In Lagos, NPR witnessed masked gunmen shooting at a polling station and taking away a ballot box. It’s not entirely clear who the attackers were, but many at the station told NPR they were voting for Peter Obi, and some voters said they felt threatened by unknown figures around them. around the unit.

Some observers said logistical failures from INEC and the violence may have prevented the vote in the regions.

Members stand in front of dignitaries at a joint press conference between election observers of the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Abuja, Nigeria

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Members stand in front of dignitaries at a joint press conference between election observers of the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Abuja, Nigeria

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Many people including a large number of young voters and first-time voters were excited by Obi, a third-party candidate that polls have predicted to win.

After about 75% of the results announced by INEC, Obi is now following with 23% of votes. But the Labor candidate has scored big wins in several states, including Lagos, toppling a key stronghold of rival Tinubu, the state’s two-term former governor with the ruling APC party.

Voting continues on Tuesday and winners could be announced within days. However, disputes will likely mean the outcome is challenged in court.