Independent National Electoral Commission

Dec

2023

By ANGE ADIHE KASONGO and DJAFFAR AL KATANTY

Congo extends voting for some after election marred by delays

DEMOCRATIC Republic of Congo will extend voting in its presidential and legislative elections into Thursday for those unable to vote on Wednesday due to issues in opening some polling stations, the election commission said. The decision, which caps a chaotic and delay-plagued election day, is likely to meet with pushback from the opposition and independent observers, who have already warned such an extension would undermine confidence in the results. At stake is not just the legitimacy of the next administration. Congolese election disputes often spark unrest with potentially far-reaching consequences. Congo is the world's third-largest copper producer, and the top…

Jun

2023

By The African Mirror

Nigeria’s elections eroded public trust in voting, EU observers say

NEWS

NIGERIA'S elections early this year were marred by problems that reduced public trust in electoral processes, European Union observers said in a final report, urging reforms to enhance transparency and accountability. President Bola Tinubu won the disputed February vote, whose result is being challenged in court by his two main rivals. The EU mission said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should improve in six priority areas, including removing ambiguities in electoral law, ensuring the real-time publication of and access to election results and clamping down on electoral offences. "Shortcomings in law and electoral administration hindered the conduct of well-run and inclusive elections and…

Mar

2023

By The African Mirror

Nigeria counts votes in elections to choose new state governors

NEWS

MACDONALD DZIRUTWE NIGERIA'S election officials counted ballots after polls closed in a delayed vote to pick new state governors, amid reports of scattered violence and voter intimidation, including in Lagos, where a tight race was expected. Polls began closing from 1330 GMT and counting immediately followed, but time was extended where voting started late. Final results are expected by Monday. In southeastern Imo state, a hotbed of separatist violence, security forces rescued 19 electoral officials who had been abducted by thugs, but election materials were lost, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said. "While the commission remains grateful to the…

Mar

2023

By The African Mirror

Nigeria’s electoral agency postpones elections for governors

NEWS

NIGERIA'S electoral commission has postponed by a week Saturday's elections to choose new governors, saying it needed more time to reconfigure electronic machines that are at the centre of last month's disputed presidential vote. The elections to pick governors in 28 of the country's 36 states will now be held on March 18. Governors are among the most influential politicians in Nigeria, Africa's biggest economy and largest oil producer. Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said late on Wednesday it needed more time to reconfigure its Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) that uses fingerprints and facial recognition to identify voters and transmit…

Mar

2023

By The African Mirror

Nigeria’s Atiku, supporters march to protest presidential election results

NEWS

CAMILLUS EBOH NIGERIAN presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar led hundreds of supporters in a peaceful protest over the electoral commission's handling of last month's disputed vote which the commission says was won by ruling party candidate Bola Tinubu. Atiku and senior members of the opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP) led placard-holding supporters during a march to the offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the federal capital Abuja where they handed in a petition. INEC's results showed that Tinubu won the Feb. 25 election with 37% of the vote against Atiku's 29%, while Labour Party's Peter Obi polled 25%. Atiku…

Feb

2023

By The African Mirror

Nigerians vote for new president, braving long delays in hope of bringing change

NEWS

HAMZA IBRAHIM NIGERIA'S presidential election was marked by long delays at some polling stations, which did not deter large crowds of voters hoping for a reset after years of worsening violence and hardship under outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari. Africa's most populous nation is struggling with Islamist insurgencies in the northeast, an epidemic of kidnappings for ransom, the conflict between herders and farmers, shortages of cash, fuel and power, as well as deep-rooted corruption and poverty. Reuters reporters at locations across the country saw a mixed election day picture, with some polling stations closing at the planned time of 2:30 p.m.…

Feb

2023

By The African Mirror

Nigerian Senate candidate killed in spate of pre-election attacks

NEWS

ANAMASERE IGBOERETEONWU A Nigerian senatorial candidate from one opposition party and the driver of a campaign minibus belonging to another were killed in a series of coordinated attacks in southeastern Enugu State ahead of an election, police said on Thursday. Nigerians are due to elect their next president and lawmakers on Saturday against a chaotic backdrop of armed conflict in the northeast, high levels of crime and shortages of cash, fuel and electricity. Africa's most populous nation, biggest economy and top oil producer switched from army rule to democracy in 1999, but its elections have long been plagued by violence…

Feb

2023

By The African Mirror

How to poll 93 million voters – the challenge of pulling off Nigeria’s presidential elections

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

NIGERIA's registered voters, which the Independent National Electoral Commission has put at 93.5 million, are expected to come out in their numbers in what will be Africa’s biggest election this year. They will be electing the president and members of the National Assembly on 25 February and governors and members of the State Houses of Assembly on 11 March. Author EMMANUEL REMI AIYEDE, Professor of Political Institutions, Governance and Public Policy, University of Ibadan To vote in the elections, Nigerian citizens must be at least 18 years old and must have collected their permanent voter’s card by 5 February. The…

Feb

2023

By KATE OKORIE, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Nigeria 2023: What’s at stake?

NEWS

NIGERIANS will be heading to the polls on February 25 to choose a successor to President Muhammadu Buhari, who steps down after two terms in office. He will hand over to one of the 18 candidates contesting for the position - though only three stand a realistic chance of winning; Bola Tinubu (70) of the ruling APC, Atiku Abubakar (76) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Peter Obi (61) of the Labour Party. Nigeria's election body, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has a duty to deliver the next Nigerian president through a free, fair, and credible process. Except…

Jan

2023

By The African Mirror

Nigeria will not postpone presidential vote – election chief

NEWS

THE head of Nigeria's electoral commission said it will not postpone next month's presidential vote despite worries over widespread insecurity including attacks on election officials. Mahmood Yakubu, speaking at London's Chatham House think tank, said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was well prepared to facilitate voting in Africa's most populous nation despite the challenges. "The commission is not contemplating, let alone planning, to postpone the 2023 general election," he said. "We are going ahead to conduct the election as scheduled." Nigerians are set to choose a new president on February 25, a vote that could have implications across the…