The compilation of the results of the election, which observers and voters say had many logistical challenges, is still ongoing.
Lagos and Abuja, Nigeria – Two days after Nigerians cast their ballots in the presidential and parliamentary elections, concerns are growing over the slow compilation of results by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The trial entered its second day on Monday with no probable winner in sight as Nigerians wait with bated breath to see who will succeed President Muhammadu Buhari, whose eight-year reign at the helm of Africa’s largest democracy end is coming.
There are three main candidates in the race for the presidency: veteran politician Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) party; former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP); and Peter Obi, a third challenger from the Labor Party. There is also a wildcard candidate – Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP).
Saturday’s vote was hampered by long delays, equipment failures after the introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and reports of voter suppression and violence in some parts of the country including Lagos, Borno and Anambra.
“I am disappointed in the way INEC conducted this election – it was poorly conducted and poorly monitored and there are many irregularities that have led to manipulation of the results,” Oluwaseyi Elijah, a 26-year-old student, told Al Jazeera in the central Nigerian city of Ilorin.
“I don’t feel comfortable with the situation and I’m afraid that some people will try to sabotage this election,” said Elijah, who supports presidential candidate Abubakar.
Through social media, hundreds of Nigerians at home and in the diaspora have raised concerns and grievances about widespread issues.
People gather around a newspaper kiosk in the Ikeja district of Lagos February 27, 2023 to glance at the daily newspapers as the country awaits the results of the presidential election [Pius Utomi Ekpei/AFP]Many have focused on allegations of irregularities involving the Labor Party, which is favored by many youth in southern and central Nigeria.
Approximately 93.4 million voters registered to vote, with a third of that number being people aged 18 to 34.
Damilare Kanyisola, a Lagos-based visual artist, had just cast his ballot on Lagos Island in the commercial capital when a group of men burst into the polling station to disrupt the process on Saturday.
“We were told that if we didn’t vote for their candidate we should go home or we would look for trouble,” Kanyinsola, who voted for Peter Obi, told Al Jazeera. “Security officials were nearby – they did nothing.”
There is currently no clear lead candidate in the elections, but some surprising results were announced as fringe parties won some parliamentary seats. Obi won the presidential count for Lagos, which has long been a key stronghold of Tinubu, a former governor of the state.
The race for the presidency is considered the most competitive in Nigerian political history, with Obi and Kwankwaso providing a credible challenge to the two traditional main parties.
Observers say the election could be an opportunity for a new group of leaders to emerge in Nigeria and oust established candidates, some of whom have been on the political scene since the days of military rule in the 1990s.
However, there is a lack of trust in the electoral system, especially among young people. INEC has spent more than 300 billion naira ($652 million) to conduct this year’s elections, but there have been a number of logistical errors.
In some cases, voters reported having to volunteer to keep watch at their polling stations overnight to ensure voters could cast their ballots and watch the count because the process started late.
At Awada Elementary School in the town of Onitsha in the southeastern state of Anambra, more than a thousand people waited more than six hours to be accredited and vote. Officers arrived late and were unable to get the BVAS, deployed nationally for the first time, to work.
Hundreds of people wait for hours at Awada Primary School in Onitsha, Nigeria to vote in the Presidential and General Elections on Saturday February 25, 2023 [Sam-Eze Chidera/Al Jazeera]The National Democratic Institute/International Republican Institute (NDI/IRI) joint observer mission said “logistical errors resulted in delayed openings across the country, fueling tensions and polling secrecy has been compromised at some polling stations due to overcrowding.”
The mission, led by Joyce Banda, the former President of Malawi, also pointed out that “foreseeable and avoidable” challenges in electronically transmitting results and uploading them to the public INEC portal in a timely manner “challenged citizens’ confidence at a crucial moment.” of the process continues to undermine”. .
The citizens were less diplomatic.
“It’s not what people expected,” Kanyisola said. “INEC has been preparing for this election for four years.”
A presiding officer counts records from Ikorodu governorate during the compilation of presidential election results February 26, 2023 at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters in Yaba, in the Lagos suburbs of Nigeria [Benson Ibeabuchi / AFP]For many, the election is seen as a referendum on the eight years of Buhari’s presidency, which was marked by economic decline and increasing insecurity. According to government statistics, more than 130 million Nigerians live in poverty.
With no presidential candidate having a clear path to victory according to initial results, experts believe the election could be headed for a runoff.
To win in the first round, a candidate must receive the largest total vote and at least 25 percent from 24 of Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja.