THE Center for Democracy and Development (CDD) said it had tracked 109 deaths linked to electoral violence in Nigeria between January and March 10.

CDD Director Idayat Hassan, who spoke at a press briefing organised by the organisation’s Election Analysis Centre (EAC) in Abuja on Friday, March 17, also highlighted ten states as potential violence hotspots in the March 18 governorhip elections.

The states are Rivers, Kano, Lagos, Kaduna, Oyo, Cross River, Enugu, Delta, Gombe and Zamfara.

She said the credibility of the March 18 governorship election is threatened by insecurity, logical obstacles, scarcity of cash and fuel scarcity.

“Credible votes are vital but will be challenged by threats of violence, Logistical obstacle and insecurity. Also, the cash and fuel scarcity are yet to dissipate completely.

“There are also critical issues that we highlighted. Political violence is one of them. For instance, our data showed that between January and March 10, 2023, there were 109 deaths linked to political violence. And this is likely to worsen with the involvement of groups like Yan sa Kai, Neighbourhood watch, Amotekun and Civilian JFT and others in the election violence, and this is likely to continue in the governorship election,” she said.

According to her, insecurity poses a “serious threat in this election and increases the likelihood of inconclusive elections in some states just as seen in past elections.”

Hassan also said the CDD EAC analysis showed that the preparedness of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is vital to the election credibility as the gubernatorial polls have been conducted amidst diminished trust for the commission following the February 25 polls.

She also noted that of the 28 gubernatorial elections on Saturday, 17 are without an incumbent contender.

This, she says, will provide room for more competition among the candidates

“INEC preparedness and diminished violence are critical for credible elections. While there will be governorships election, 17 of them are new, with no incumbent governor contesting as they are time-barred from competing in the election. This will provide room for intense competition in this election,” she added.