ECOWAS observers: 2023 elections peaceful, transparent

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Observation Mission deployed to Saturday’s presidential and National Assembly elections says the exercise was generally peaceful and transparent.

The leader of the ECOWAS delegation, former President Ernest Koroma of Sierra Leone, said this during a preliminary briefing on the elections in Abuja on Monday.

Koroma, who said the voters’ turnout was low in most polling units visited, stated that most electorate composed themselves throughout the voting process.

“Vote counting and tallying processes were carried out in a transparent, simple and professional manner, in the presence of party agents, observers, and security agents in the daytime in some polling units and with lamps in others, where voting was delayed,” he added.

While commending the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for ensuring a hitch-free exercise, Koroma, however, noted that there was violence in some states of the federation during the elections.

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“Most polling officials and ad-hoc staff demonstrated inadequate knowledge of their duties, especially with voting materials.

“The set-up of most of the polling units visited did not adequately protect the secrecy of the voting process,” the former President added.

Koroma, therefore, called on INEC to ensure prompt transmission and declaration of the eletion results.

He also urged INEC to increase the frequency of communication on developments regarding the electoral process to the general public to discourage misinformation through social media.

Also speaking, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Omar Touray, said: “ECOWAS will indeed follow results closely and continue to reach out to all stakeholders within the framework of our preventive diplomacy.”

The Star