The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD-West Africa) has raised concerns over low competitiveness and fragility of key electoral institutions ahead of Saturday’s governorship election in Anambra.
Dauda Garuba, the Director of CDD expressed the worries at a pre-election news conference in Awka on Friday.
Garuba who was represented by Mrs Seyi Awojulugbe, Misinformation, Disinformation and Hate Speech analyst said the first off-cycle governorship election under Prof. Joash Amupitan would be a test case.
The CDD boss said that INEC had taken steps to improve preparations, but confidence remains fragile as the continuous voter registration process exposed logistical gaps which must be urgently addressed.
He said though it was satisfactory that there were no fewer than 2,802,790 registered voters in the state with about 98.8 permanent voter cards collection according to the Independent National, translating it into a high voter turnout remained a cause for worry.
The body said it had deployed 178 trained and accredited observers across all 21 local government areas, with our methodology targeting polling units with high volumes and a prior history of election-related issues.
“This election is a decisive test of Nigeria’s democratic resilience, institutional credibility, and political competitiveness.
“We have also deployed 57 grassroots monitors known as “Soldiers of Mouth” who will help in addressing information disorder incidents, corroborate fact-checks and help us monitor the ways that parties, politicians and even members of the public engage in disinformation.
“Also, we have deployed 30 mandate protection observers who will spot and report any electoral irregularities to the relevant agencies,” he said.
Garuba said that a major concern in the Anambra governorship election was that the political parties have not demonstrated the capacity to mobilise and sensitise voters.
He decried the internal crisis within Nigeria’s major political parties at the moment adding that it had weakened electoral competitiveness in the Anambra governorship election.
“Security threats remain a major concern in Ihiala, Nnewi South, Orumba South, and border communities such as Lilu, Azia, and Amorka.
“Weak oversight of vigilance groups and the long-standing violent environment contribute to a low risk of voter turnout. Security agencies must act professionally and protect voters without bias.
“We call on INEC to maintain neutrality and ensure seamless electoral processes, such as the timely deployment of voting materials and smooth functioning of BVAS/IReV,” he said.
CDD-West Africa called on all actors to prioritise national interest, protect democratic integrity and ensure a peaceful, credible and inclusive election.
He cautioned against targeting of security institutions with partisan bias, exploitation of religious divides, manipulation of political endorsement narratives and weaponisation of insecurity concerns and “unknown gunmen” narratives.(NAN)