Election observers have advised contestants in the Presidential and National Assembly elections to see beyond themselves and their political aspirations, to promote the unity of Nigeria as a country.
The group under the platform of Independent Foreign Observers also congratulates the government and Nigerians for their enthusiasm, perseverance and fair play in pursuing democratic ideals through the election.
The group commended INEC and all security agencies including the Nigeria Army for maintaining orderliness and “contributing to a sense of calm and security which enabled domestic and foreign observers to efficiently carry out their duties, and voters to exercise their democratic right and responsibility.”
In a release made available to IMPACT on Sunday, the observers who said the Presidential and National Assembly elections appeared free fair and credible advised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure that the functionality of the card readers are fully tested and properly calibrated before deployment to polling unity before the elections to reduce the use of manual voting which they said take time and open to exploitation.
“The 2019 general elections in Nigeria, though appearing to be free, fair and credible at this juncture, using our international set parameters and the feedback gathered from the over 200 observers deployed to the various states, there are a few areas that need to be looked into in the conduct of elections in the future.
“The functionality of card readers must be fully tested and properly calibrated before deployment to the polling units, before the elections to reduce the use of manual voting which takes time and might be exploited.”
They advised the INEC to improve in the area of logistics and training of electoral officials .While stating that efforts should be channeled ensuring that voting starts on time in other to make the process more comfortable and healthy for voters, as well as improving voter turnout.
“Continuing voter education beyond the election period should focus on efforts to identify and weed out Fake news in order not to mislead the public.
“Nigerians should be able to vote in their current place of residence, provided they have lived there for a designated minimum amount of time. A mechanism should be put in place to cancel their registration in their home state, when they register in their new home area,” the group stated.
