Int’l Observation Mission releases damning report about 2023 Presidential Election in Nigeria

The mission, supported by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), led by Dr Joyce Banda, former President of Malawi, monitored the February 25 Presidential and National Assembly elections and presented its preliminary report on February 27.

The report criticised the conduct of the polls, saying “inadequate communication and lack of transparency by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) about their cause and extent created confusion and eroded voters’ trust in the process.”

The final 2023 elections report, sent to TIME AFRICA by National Democratic Institute (NDI) Press Secretary Paulina Chavez Alonzo, gave a damning verdict, recalling the nationwide exercise saw the “lowest turnout for national contests in Nigeria’s modern democratic history, with only 27 per cent of registered voters participating.”

It noted that while there were improvements in election administration, advances in results transparency, increased competitiveness in the presidential race, quality engagement of youth, and overall optimism generated by the enactment of the Electoral Act 2022, the elections “fell short of citizens’ legitimate and reasonable expectations.”

The mission observed “significant logistical, technological, and communications failures by INEC, divisive rhetoric by political parties, political violence, regional disparities in electoral integrity,” declaring that “instances of vote manipulation and marginalisation of key populations marred the electoral process and disenfranchised voters”.

The report urges the new government, lawmakers, INEC, and political parties to show genuine and renewed dedication to improving electoral and democratic processes, fighting corruption, and providing Nigerian citizens with responsive and trusted institutions.

“Nigerians must undertake collective actions to combat disenchantment, address lingering political grievances, and restore faith in elections and democracy as a whole,” the final report states.

IEOM found that there is still space to confront electoral integrity challenges and build on the gains of recent reforms, but only through demonstrable political will, good faith, and committed and coordinated efforts among Nigerian stakeholders.

The report includes key findings on the pre-election, election day, and post-election periods and offers practical recommendations for consideration by Nigerian stakeholders and partners to promote a resilient and inclusive democracy.
The report is based on information gathered by the delegation from June 2022 to May 2023. The 40-person election day delegation observed the polls in 20 states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

National Democratic Institute and International Republican Institute thanked the Nigerian people for the warm welcome that they accorded IEOM and commended the contributions of the more than 60 observers who participated in the pre-election, election day, and post-election teams.”

The report titled: NDI-IRI Joint International Election Observation Mission Releases Final Report on 2023 Nigerian General Elections, reads:

“Washington, DC – Today, the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and International Republican Institute (IRI) Joint International Election Observation Mission (IEOM) released its final report on the 2023 General Elections in Nigeria. 

“While there were incremental improvements in election administration, advances in results transparency, increased competitiveness in the presidential race, quality engagement of youth, and overall optimism generated by the enactment of the Electoral Act 2022, the 2023 elections in Nigeria fell short of citizens’ legitimate and reasonable expectations.

“Significant logistical, technological, and communications failures by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), divisive rhetoric by political parties, political violence, regional disparities in electoral integrity, instances of vote manipulation, and marginalization of key populations marred the electoral process and disenfranchised voters negatively impacted key aspects of the election process. The elections also saw the lowest turnout for national contests in Nigeria’s modern democratic history with only 27 percent of registered voters participating. 

“The incoming government, lawmakers, INEC, and political parties will need to show genuine and renewed dedication to improving electoral and democratic processes, fighting corruption, and providing Nigerian citizens with responsive and trusted institutions. Nigerians must undertake collective actions to combat disenchantment, address lingering political grievances, and restore faith in elections and democracy as a whole.”

“The report includes key findings on the pre-election, election day and post-election periods and offers practical recommendations for consideration by Nigerian stakeholders and partners to promote a resilient and inclusive democracy. 

“The IEOM found that there is still space to confront electoral integrity challenges and build on the gains of recent reforms, but only through demonstrable political will, good faith, and committed and coordinated efforts among Nigerian stakeholders. 

“This report is based on information gathered by the joint IRI-NDI Nigeria international election observation mission, which was present in Nigeria from June 2022 to May 2023. The 40-person election day delegation observed the polls in 20 states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FTC). It was led by a distinguished team including Her Excellency Dr. Joyce Banda, former president of Malawi, and Ambassador Mark Green, former Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

“Recognizing that elections are about more than just election day, the mission also conducted two pre-election assessment missions in July and December 2022 and was supported by in-country thematic analysts who provided regular updates through the monitoring and analysis of the pre-and post-election periods. 

“NDI and IRI thank the Nigerian people for the warm welcome that they provided the IEOM and express sincere appreciation for the meaningful contributions of the more than 60 observers who participated in the pre-election, election day, and post-election delegations. 

“The Mission was made possible with support from the U.S. Agency for International Development. 

“Nigeria’s 2023 elections had the potential of being a watershed moment in the country’s democratic trajectory. Against a backdrop of historic instability across the country, escalating economic crises (in part due to a state-created currency shortage), and growing national divisions, the elections nonetheless presented a critical opportunity for citizens, especially youth, to engage in the democratic process and to channel grievances through legitimate political means.

“In July 2022, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman Mahmood Yakubu stated that INEC would deliver “the best-ever election” in 2023, and this was welcomed by many Nigerians and outside observers as both aspirational and necessary. Buttressing this optimism was the Electoral Act 2022, which introduced reforms aimed at more timely organization of pre-electoral processes and increasing transparency in results collation and reporting.

“Despite these positive prospects earlier in the year, the elections fell short of Nigerian citizens’ legitimate and reasonable expectations, as significant logistical, technological, and communications failures by INEC, political parties that relied on divisive rhetoric rather than running on issues, regional disparities in electoral integrity, instances of vote manipulation, political violence, and marginalization of key populations marred the electoral process and disenfranchised voters.

“Although there were incremental improvements in election administration, advances in results transparency, increased competitiveness in the presidential race, and quality engagement of youth, the elections saw the lowest turnout for national contests in Nigeria’s modern democratic history with only one in five registered voters participating. Sustained protests and allegations of irregularities have persisted since February due to the poor administration of the election.

“The incoming government, lawmakers, INEC, and political parties must all demonstrate genuine and renewed dedication to improving electoral and democratic processes, fighting corruption, and providing Nigerian citizens with responsive and trusted institutions. Going forward, it will require the collective action of all Nigerians to combat disenchantment, address grievances, and restore faith in electoral democracy.

“At the time this report was issued, claims challenging the results of the presidential election had not yet been resolved given the ex- tended timeframe available for the courts to rule on such challenges.

“The International Republican Institute (IRI) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI) organized a joint international election observation mission (IEOM) for the 2023 general elections. Recognizing that elections are about more than just election day, the IEOM organized an initial technical assessment team, which monitored the Ekiti gubernatorial election; conducted two pre-election assessment missions in July and December 2022 (with the July mission monitoring the Osun gubernatorial election); deployed thematic analysts to Nigeria to monitor the pre- and post-election periods; and deployed a 40-member delegation of short-term observers drawn from across Africa and around the world for the February 25 elections. The delegation observed in 20 states, including the FCT, and was led by a distinguished team including her excellent Dr. Joyce Banda, former president of Malawi, and Ambassador Mark Green, former Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

“The IEOM methodology is based on a comprehensive gathering of information for fact-based, politically impartial analysis that is presented in the IEOM’s findings and recommendations. This report provides a comprehensive assessment of the 2023 Nigeria Presidential and National Assembly elections by the joint NDI/IRI IEOM through May 2023. The IEOM analyzed the legal framework and conditions in the pre-election period; the voting, counting, and tallying processes on election day; and the resolution of complaints post-election.

The IEOM adhered to the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation as well as international and regional standards and conducted its activities in accordance with Nigerian law. This report examines Nigeria’s electoral environment and processes and offers recommendations to various stakeholders based on NDI’s and IRI’s comparative experience, and in the spirit of international cooperation.””