Election 2019: Domestic observers commend Bauchi INEC

FOR conducting what it described as a credible presidential and national assembly elections, a coalition of Domestic Observers deployed to Bauchi State to observe the 2019 elections has passed a vote of confidence on the Bauchi State office of the  Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The commendation was contained in a communiqué signed and issued to Journalists in Bauchi on Wednesday by the Coalition’s Coordinator, Muhammad Abubakar and the Secretary,  DK Isaac Idoma respectively.

The communique contained that, “We commend INEC for its efficient and transparent manner in which materials were distributed to all the LGAs.”

According to the communiqué, “The team’s preliminary assessment revealed that the Commission mobilised all necessary logistics and human resources towards a successful conduct of the election.”

“The distribution of sensitive and non-sensitive election materials was largely effective and generally impressive. It was further observed that the sensitive materials were distributed amidst late night on Friday 22th February 2019,” it further stated.

The Coalition further stated, “The ad-hoc staff was mainly recruited from the NYSC and was systemically deployed to the LGAs and district of their assignment. INEC displayed professional measures that adequately addressed the administrative and logistical challenges in order to ensure an expeditious distribution of election materials and the deployment of supervisors and ad-hoc staff to all the LGAs of Bauchi State.”

“Election materials arrived on time and gave room for early commencement of accreditation and voting in most of the polling units in Bauchi State. INEC provided a level playground for all the political parties and their candidates throughout the election processes,” it further commended.

It stated further that, “By and large, accreditation and voting went on simultaneously and smoothly in most of the Polling Units and voters conducted themselves peacefully.

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“Some of the Polling Units visited, Party Agents and their voters conducted themselves orderly in conformity with electoral rules and regulations. Furthermore, we observed that some party agents were not present in some of the Polling Units visited especially APC.”

It stated that skirmishes were noticed in Dass LGA and some irregularities “where some INEC staff and electoral materials were hijacked by some thugs until the security personnel were drafted to rescue the material as well as the officials at the close of the voting exercise.”

The communiqué further contained that card reader machines functioned optimally in most of the polling units visited, while in some Polling Units particularly in Dass and Bogoro LGAs the card readers were not adequately used due to some technical reasons.

“INEC did not provide or subscribed to the use of Incident Forms for this particular election, as was the case in 2015 general elections that took care of those who could not be captured by the card reader machines,” it added.

“Consequently, there were no cases of ballot box stuffing and snatching throughout the election processes except the harassment and intimidation of some INEC ad- commend the people of Bauchi, participating political parties for their roles in ensuring a hitch-free election,” it stated.

The Coalition also called on all Nigerians to join hands with INEC, Political Parties, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and Security Agents so that the process of democratic consolidation in Nigeria will be firmed.

It then urged INEC to synergise with CSOs to embark on voter education and sensitization before elections are conducted.