The Edo governorship election observers’ team of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) has scored the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) low for its conduct at the just concluded governorship election in Edo State.
The NBA observers group, in an interim report by the NBA Benin branch issued on Sunday evening gave INEC a low rating over the late arrival of sensitive materials and ad-hoc staff to polling units.
However, the group said that the Edo governorship election was 90 per cent violence free as against the anxiety and fear of possible breakdown of law and order earlier feared.
John Martins, spokesperson for the NBA observers group, who issued the interim report, said that although there was voters’ apathy, those who turned out were enthusiastic about the electioneering process.
The NBA observers equally expressed satisfaction over what they termed substantial improvement in the deployment of card readers which they said functioned well in most of the polling units.
“The only snag we observed is the fact that the policemen were not informed that observers are part of the election process. We recommend that INEC should improve in this area of enlightenment, engagement with security forces,” the NBA said.