The West African Civil Society Forum (WACSOF), a zonal network of civil society organisations from 15 West African states, has expressed concerns about Nigeria’s just-concluded presidential and National Assembly polls.
While the election was initially free and fair, WACSOF noted that technical glitches during the counting and uploading of results marred the process.
According to the National Executive Director of WACSOF, Dr Sanwo Olatunji-David, some of the hitches were due to inadequate training of polling unit agents on effectively using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
As Nigeria prepares for the gubernatorial and State Assembly elections scheduled for March 11, WACSOF has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to solve the BVAS glitch and finetune and expand data capacity.
The group stressed the need for the electoral body to attend to all necessary technical requirements in relation to the upload of election results to its portal as specified in the election guidelines.
WACSOF’s observations during the polling units monitored identified late arrival of INEC staff and election materials, shortage of election consumables such as ink pads, and inadequate training of some polling unit agents as challenges encountered during the election. However, the group applauded the aggrieved parties for seeking a legal solution in court rather than resorting to violence.
