Following the outcome of the February 25th presidential and National Assembly elections, the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding Nigeria (WANEP- Nigeria) said reactions by different bodies including political parties must be taken seriously by relevant authorities in order to douse tension building up due to citizen’s dissatisfaction of the conduct of the general elections with pocket of protests being witnessed in Abuja and other parts of the country.
WANEP Nigeria, which spoke on behalf its over 250 member organizations spread across the six geo -political zones said Nigerians must remain calm and exercise restraint in expressing grievances while seeking constitutional options where necessary.
In a post mortem analysis of the just concluded elections, the organisation noted that despite the challenging economic, operational and security environment, the elections were generally well-administered in a transparent and peaceful atmosphere.
It said amidst significant challenge posed by the cash crisis and the volatile security context in some areas, WANEP noted the willingness of voters to exercise their civic rights in electing the leaders of their choice as evidence in the large turnout at many of the polling units visited by observers across the country.
“The 25 February 2023 election was crucial in consolidating democracy, peace and stability in Nigeria. The efforts put in by INEC and other key stakeholders to ensure violent free and fair elections to support peaceful and democratic political transition is laudable. With collation and announcement of the results by INEC, WANEP Nigeria urges all stakeholders to remain committed to democratic principles and embrace a culture of peace to ensure a seamless political transition,” it noted.
The body added, “We use this platform to call on all stakeholders to intervene proactively to calm all tensions and avoid any form of violence as the electoral processes continue with the gubernatorial and state Houses of Assembly elections.”
Parts of recommendation adduced by the body in order to improve future electoral processes the need to uphold peace and rule of law throughout the electoral process – pre, during and post elections by the federal government.
It urged the federal government to implement the 35% affirmative action in the electoral system for women and introduce 20% for persons living with disabilities and youth affirming that such measures would allow for an inclusive approach to the democratic process.
Addressing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), WANEP said the electoral umpire should review the electoral logistics operations strategy to ensure sufficient training of ad-hoc officers to enable them to understand and effectively operate the electronic voting machines.
