The Independent National Electoral Commission
conducted Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections across the country
on Saturday, April 11, 2015. Governorship elections were held in 29 States of
the Federation, while State Assembly elections were held in 36 states. No
election took place in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). A general assessment shows that the elections went
very well across the country.
According to preliminary reports, 88.9 % of polling units opened for accreditation between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. across the country. Only 5.2 % were yet to open as of 1 pm. Also, 73 % of the polling units had commenced voting by 2.30 p.m.
The process of accreditation with Smart Card Readers
was also successful in a majority of the polling units. Initial challenges were
recorded in Edo and Abia states, but the technical teams deployed to support
the states were able to resolve the issues in a timely manner.
Overall,
many parts of the country remained relatively peaceful during the elections. Some
states, however, recorded a significant number of violent incidents, the most
affected being Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ebonyi and Ondo States. INEC’s
records show that there were 66 reports of violent incidents targeted at
polling units, the Commission’s officials, voters and election materials. These
were in Rivers State (16 incidents), Ondo (8), Cross River and Ebonyi (6 each),
Akwa Ibom (5) Bayelsa (4), Lagos and Kaduna (3 each), Jigawa, Enugu, Ekiti and
Osun (2 each), Katsina, Plateau, Kogi, Abia, Imo, Kano and Ogun (1 each). The Commission is investigating these
incidents and will do everything within in its powers to bring culprits to
justice.
INEC commends Nigerians for once again demonstrating
their resolve and commitment to participate in the electoral process and by
doing so, contributing to deepening democracy in our country.
The Commission calls on every citizen to maintain
the peace as the results of the Governorship and State Assembly elections are
being processed, and to accept the official outcomes. It would like to emphasize
that winners can only emerge after collation of the official results and on the
basis of the requirements prescribed by the legal framework. Any aggrieved
persons or groups are encouraged to seek redress at the Tribunals.
INEC
would also like to remind all stakeholders that the process is not yet
completed and urges restraint in their comments, as we strive to bring this process
to an orderly, peaceful and credible conclusion.
Signed:
The
Independent National Electoral Commission
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