Nigeria waits for election results as complaints mount

Two days after Nigeria voted for a new president, Nigerians are still anxiously waiting for the result. “A lot of Nigerians are losing patience, normally at this time, people know who will be president,” DW’s correspondent Flourish Chukwurah from Lagos said.

“It’s difficult to say when we hear a final announcement, which gives room for a lot of speculations about rigging.”

Voting in Africa’s biggest democracy went ahead mostly peacefully on Saturday, but it was marred by widespread voting delays and early accusations of attempts to manipulate ballot counts. 

Delay in announcing results

By Monday afternoon, only a few of Nigeria’s 36 states had officially declared their results. Peter Obi from the Labour Party, supported by many young people, won in the commercial hub of Lagos state, followed by BolaTinubu for the governing All Progressives Congress party and Atiku Abubakar for the main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

All three parties criticized the slow pace at which results were being uploaded onto the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) website. INEC apologized in a statement on Sunday and underlined that problems were due to “technical hitches.”

The commission reassured voters that there was no risk of tampering with the results.”We take full responsibility for the problems and regret the distress that they have caused the candidates, political parties and the electorate,” INEC said.

Growing frustration

But Nigerians were frustrated and worried that the delay could lead to electoral malpractice in a country with a history of ballot rigging and vote buying. While some voters shared footage online of electoral officials refusing to upload the results at the polling units, officials on their side complained about a lack of internet in some places.

The introduction of an electronic result transmission system was supposed to ensure the results could not be altered by creating a digital version on the INEC website.

INEC introduced the Bimodal Voter Registration System (BVAS) and the Election Result Viewing Portal (IReV) to assure transparency and credibility for the election. 

According to Nigerian political analyst Tie Tie Frank, problems were to be expected. “This is a large country, and we rely heavily on technology and the internet. But there is really no cause for alarm. By Wednesday, we should have a result”, Frank told DW.

Political parties unhappy with the process

PDP’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, urged INEC to upload the results immediately after accusing some state governors of trying to compromise the results. “It will be a disservice to Nigerians and a negation to democracy for anyone to subvert the will of the people as freely expressed in their votes,” Abubakar said in a statement.

Labour Party (LP) Chairman Julius Abure also accused election officials of failing to upload results in a bid to help the ruling APC candidate Bola Tinubu. The LP announced it would challenge the election outcome in court, alleging that its members were deliberately prevented from voting, chased away violently from polling units, or had ballot papers and boxes destroyed.

Yiaga Africa, an election observer mission, questioned the delays. “We observed several levels of irregularities which we honestly as an organization can no longer excuse,” Yiaga co-founder Cynthia Mbamalu said at a press conference.

Ballot box snatching and violence

Some polling stations did not open on time, and voting continued until Sunday. In Abuja, voter Margaret Egbechi told DW the BVAS machine developed faults. “We voted up until around 7 pm, and we waited to make sure our result was counted,” Egbechi said.

Incidents of violence and intimidation were shared on Social Media, including snatching ballot boxes and tampering with ballot papers. In northern Kano State, police said suspected thugs had attacked a campaign office for a smaller opposition party and set the building on fire, killing two people. Police said they had killed one of the suspects and arrested four.

Soldiers were also forced to intervene on Sunday after 15 men pretending to be INEC officials stormed a voting collation center in Lagos, attacking party agents with knives and sticks, according to footage obtained by Reuters.

“The whole process seems to have been very chaotic,” Chukwurah said, adding that people were on the streets, waiting, chanting: “We must vote!”

The election started on a high note, with President Buhari promising Nigerians that this election would be free and fair. But eventually, it has left a bitter taste because people are disappointed with how everything unfolds.

“An election like no other”

However, it was an election “like no other,” said DW’s Chukwurah. She added that Nigeria’s youth spearheaded the trend. “Many young Nigerians voted for the first time,” Chukwurah said. 

Most of Nigeria’s youth never experienced military rule that lasted until 1999. So they don’t know what it means to be controlled by the government. “They are radical. They believe in democracy. They are not afraid to air their views, and they are also aware of what is happening worldwide. They know their rights.”

This is something many Nigerians were proud of. Voter Leken Sowande told DW that this election had seen a massive voter turnout. “They want a better Nigeria than what we have now.”

Will the youth vote matter?

About 70% of Nigerians are younger than 30. Nearly 90 million Nigerians were eligible to vote for a successor to President Muhammadu Buhari. Many hope a new leader will better tackle insecurity, improve the economy, and reduce poverty. 

Charles Oba, who did not vote due to work, hopes “the incoming government will focus on economy, education, infrastructure, development and many other things we hope will happen.”

Nigeria poll results begin to trickle in

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Those social issues were another trigger for the youth’s enthusiasm during this election, Chukwurah said. “People were saying: I’m going to put my all to ensure we vote for a good government.”

Chukwurah said Nigeria is made up of many vibrant, intelligent young people who are educated. But when you look at the government, it doesn’t really reflect that. “We have older men who are corrupt who are not ready to change the status quo. A lot of young people are leaving Nigeria.”

Isaac Mugabi in Abuja and Flourish Chukwurah in Lagos contributed to this article

Edited by: Chrispin Mwakideu

Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/nigeria-waits-for-election-results-as-complaints-mount/a-64833743?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf