Nigerian elections have ‘systemic failings’, need serious reform: EU

The EU commented after elections last Saturday for governors in
29 of 36 states, and two weeks after a presidential vote in which
Muhammadu Buhari won a second term at the helm of Africa’s top oil
producer and biggest economy.

The election was tarnished by organizational breakdowns and
factional violence. Buhari’s main rival Atiku Abubakar alleged
fraud in the vote and plans to challenge the result in court after
inspecting voting materials.

“The systemic failings and electoral security problems of the
last few weeks and months show that there is real need for serious
reform in Nigeria,” Maria Arena, chief of the EU mission, told a
news conference in the capital Abuja.

Improvements in how the electoral commission conducted the
governors’ vote, compared with the presidential election, were
still overshadowed by a lack of security near voting stations,

improper use of state media for campaigning and “institutional
failings”, according to Arena.

Around 600 people died in election-related violence from the
start of campaigning in November to the end of the presidential
election, according to reports by two Nigerian security research
groups.

Insecurity in Rivers state in the gubernatorial election was bad
enough to prompt Nigeria’s electoral commission to halt vote
counting on Sunday.

In last month’s presidential election, Buhari, of the All
Progressives Congress (APC), beat Atiku of the People’s Democratic
Party (PDP) by 15.2 million votes to 11.3 million, although turnout
was just 35.6 percent.

The PDP then asked to inspect voter registers, card reader
machines, ballot papers and other documents used for the Feb. 23
vote. On March 6, a three-man tribunal granted the request.

International observers have not disputed Buhari’s victory but
said the conduct of the election was widely flawed.

Civil society groups said on Saturday turnout in the governors’
elections was low across Nigeria, due in part to a large military
presence intimidating voters, and apathy after the presidential
election was delayed by a week.

Previous gubernatorial elections in Rivers and other parts of
Nigeria have been marred by violence, including shootings and the
snatching of ballot boxes by armed gangs.