The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has raised questions bothering on the transparency of the 2023 Presidential and National Assembly elections and demanded that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) explains to Nigerians why it failed to urgently address the preventable lapses recorded during the conduct of the polls.

President of CAN, Archbishop Daniel Okoh in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja, expressed disappointment despite repeated assurances from INEC on the level of its preparedness, it was saddening that Saturday’s elections fell below the reasonable expectations of the people who were positive elections in Nigeria would for once be free, fair, transparent and credible.

He said: “Ideally when people vote, the votes should be counted and allowed to reflect in the result the electoral umpire will announce. Anything short of that remains an aberration in any democratic context and contest.

“Late arrival of election materials in parts of the country, malfunction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System machines, failure of the planned electronic transmission of results to the virtual results viewing portal amid other structural challenges in the electoral process have not only cast a shadow of doubt on INEC’s sincerity to deliver a transparent and fair general election this year, but also threaten the credibility of the entire system.

“It is, therefore, important that explanation be given to Nigerians as to why the preventable lapses were not addressed promptly.

“INEC must rise to the occasion in the face of this precarious situation and do everything possible to win back the slipping confidence of the people in the electoral system, especially as the country prepares for the governorship and state legislative polls in 11 days.

“Most importantly, all Nigerians must note that the whole of the international community is watching the behaviour of the Federal Government and its agencies, especially the police, the army, and the other law-enforcement agents, to see how far they respect the country’s constitution, the rule of law and the obligation to act well in playing their roles in respect of elections," he said.

While commending the huge voter turnout in this year’s election, CAN urged political parties and Nigerians to remain calm and desist from any action that could create needless tensions or stoke any form of violence that could put the country on a precipice.

“CAN specifically ask all presidential candidates to abide by the spirit and letter of the Peace Accord they signed before the elections. We remind them that this is the only country we have, and we must do everything to keep it safe, united, and peaceful.

“In the same breath, we encourage all political actors, elder statesmen, eminent personalities in our society as well as religious and traditional leaders to make proactive interventions to calm any tensions and nip signs of violence in the bud.

“We equally ask the Independent National Electoral Commission to do all within its scope of authority to ensure that the will of the people as expressed through the ballots during last Saturday’s presidential and federal legislative elections count.

“As it is said, when Nigeria sneezes, the rest of the African continent catches a cold. This implies that all stakeholders must ensure that these elections are free and fair so that no room is created for people to agitate unnecessarily or for violence to erupt.”(New Telegraph)