YIAGA Africa,a Civil Society Organisation says 3.3 per cent of ballot papers used during 2019 presidential election were cancelled.
Mr Paul James, Programme Manager, Elections, YIAGA Africa said this while presenting the group’s Watching The Vote Report on Nigeria 2019 Presidential Elections at a round-table in Abuja.
According to James, the cancellation was four times higher than that of 2015 election.
He said that the cancellation in the 2019 presidential election, were announced in all states except the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
He said that YIAGA Africa deployed over 4000 Watching The Vote observers across the 774 Local Government Areas(LGAs)in the 36 states including the FCT to monitor pre-election environment,election and post-election.
“For the 2019 general elections, YIAGA Africa data revealed possible incidents of vote suppression.
“This is as reflected in the percentage of cancelled ballots in some states with 60,000 or more cancelled ballots – Rivers, Nasarawa, Akwa-Ibom, Cross River, Plateau, Kogi, Benue and Kaduna States.
“Rivers had 1402 Polling Units (PU)and LGAs cancelled with 942 ,368 registered voters ,Akwa Ibom had 272,Pus canceled in 10 LGAs with 195,799 voters.
“Kaduna had 89 Pus cancelled with 189,865 voters while Nassarawa had 157,591votes cancelled and Plateau has 126 Pus cancelled in 12 LGAs with 146,355 voters,’’ he said.
James said that some critical incidents reported during the election were snatching of Election Materials at the Registration Area Center (RAC) in Okrika LGA in Rivers which prevented voting.
He said that the report also showed that voters were denied access to polling units by political thugs.
He said that the group while observing the election also witnessed destruction and burning of election materials,threats to media reporters and six journalists were abduction in Ahoada West LGA in Rivers.
He said that the group also observed disruption of the results collation in some states , military interference harassment among others.
Mr Samson Itodo , Executive Director ,YIAGA Africa said that the round table was organised to get stakeholders together to talk about voter oppression because it was becoming a recurring decimal in Nigerian election.
“We are witnesses to the fact that in recent elections thugs have targeted specific local government or polling units and destruction of election materials.
” People were also prevented from casting their votes just in a bid to dilute the voting power of a particular geographical space or a particular group,” he said.
Itodo said that when citizens were deprived of their rights, democracy lose it vitality because citizens were unable to vote.
He said that the round table was meant to push discussion around voter suppression and the need for electoral reform to provide an opportunity to strengthen Nigerian legal framework to prevent institutional voter suppression.(NAN)
