KEY POINTS

• The electoral process received positive evaluations from observers primarily because OSIEC successfully managed the elections through their challenges.
• Voter turnout decreased due to Nigerian Police forces issuing threats against people who planned to vote.
• Candidates who wished to dispute election results were urged to take their cases to court instead of creating disturbances.

Observers have praised OSIEC for organizing a peaceful election day on February 22 but they have also denounced Nigeria Police Force handling of the voting process.

During the election the Coalition of Election Observers accused police officers of issuing threats which chased away voters while they attempted to disrupt the election operations.

Observers condemn police actions

Declan Ihekaire expressed negative opinions about the operation of Nigerian police during a Sunday conference in Osogbo. According to him the active participation of law enforcement officials in voter discouragement occurred through issuing warning advisories about security threats.

According to his statement, the police should have preserved neutrality yet their issued threats stopped some voters from voting.

The observers reported that police officials shut down OSIEC headquarters to prevent further election advancement. The distribution of voting materials by OSIEC occurred before the police intervention enabled the election to continue its preplanned schedule.

Praise for OSIEC and call for legal redress

The observers expressed appreciation toward OSIEC because the organization carried out the election procedures successfully in spite of the challenges they faced.

Winners of the election received congratulations from observators who advised dissatisfied candidates to resolve their issues through official legal procedures instead of staging disturbances.

Ihekaire declared his praise for all election winners while calling on unhappy candidates to seek legal remedies instead of disrupting public order through disruptive behaviors.

Electoral stakeholders in Nigeria have initiated discussions about improving security agency accountability while conducting elections in future polls despite achieving widespread peace during this recent term.