SEVERAL election observers deployed to monitor the March 18 gubernatorial and state assembly elections across states in Nigeria suffered one form of assault or the other.
According to report by the Centre for Journalism and Development (CJID), some observers were “victims of abuse from various actors” in the course of monitoring the elections.
“Among other forms of assault, some of them were detained, beaten, threatened or had their phones seized,” the report released by the CJID Election Analysis Centre said.
Security operatives, political thugs and a federal lawmaker were identified as perpetrators of the assault in the report by the Centre which said it deployed 56 observers to 31 states.
“Despite their important roles, election observers in Nigeria face harassment and assaults for carrying out their constitutional duties”
Litany of attacks
An observer, Abiodun Jamiu, was attacked at Polling Unit 11, Garba Garba Ward of the Bodinga local government council in Sokoto State while checking the voters register.
“I had to leave to avoid being beaten up,” said Jamiu, who was chased out of the local government area by “some men”.
Another observer, Richard Ekeke was not as lucky as Jamiu to escape unscathed. He arrived Polling Unit 002, Ward 2 of the Esit Eket local government in Akwa Ibom where he observed massive vote buying.
He noted that officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were involved in the electoral malpractice with party agents of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Ekeke was was attacked by a mob after they found out that he recorded the vote buying with his phone camera.
“They snatched my tag, tore it, snatched my phone and hit it several times with a stick.”
The report said as Ekeke tried to identify himself as an observer, “he was barraged with slaps and punches from the angry mob that descended on him”.
While observing at Polling Unit 003, Ward 13 in Ajaokuta LG, Kogi State, Oche Akor, another observer was attacked by a convoy attached to Lawal Idirisu, a member of House of Representatives.
Akor’s tag was torn after been beaten for taking videos of the federal lawmaker sharing money to the electorate by the security operatives and party thugs.
“It happened so fast. Before I knew it, they had snatched my phone and dragged me to one corner. They tried to delete the pictures and when they could not do it, they removed the memory card and formatted my phone”, Akor said.
Taiwo Fatola, another observer deployed by CJID was arrested and detained by officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Osun State.
Fatola said he was speaking to the Polling Officer at Polling Unit 12, Ward 5 of Olorunda LGA when he was approached by party agents and asked to identify himself.
“As soon as he did so, they gestured to the NSCDC officers who immediately whisked him away in their vehicle to their headquarters in Osun State. He was released over an hour later after being made to write a statement like a criminal,” the report said.
Centre condemns attacks
CJID’s Head of Election Analysis Centre, Mboho Eno, in a statement, condemned the attacks on journalists and observers by thugs, general citizens and the security structure.
“With what was recorded during the February 25th Presidential election, one would have thought that the incidents of harassment, intimidation and outright assault of observers and journalists would be far lower during the March 18th Governorship and State House of Assembly elections. But the reverse is the case from what we have seen so far,” he said.
Similarly, the Deputy Director of the Journalism Programme at the CJID, Busola Ajibola called for action to be taken against state operatives named and identified to have infringed on the rights of observers and journalists.
“Political actors who have been identified to have made inciting statements and fanned the embers of ethnicity against section 92 (1) of the 2022 electoral act should be dealt with according to the law. Also their followers who implemented the threats should also be prosecuted in line with the law,” Ajibola said.
Sinafi Omanga is a multimedia journalist and researcher with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. He has a keen interest in humanitarian reporting, social justice, and environment.
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