The PAN African Women Projects (International Observer Group) in the just concluded governorship election Imo state has advised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to consider using drones to deploy some key materials to Registration Area Centres (RAC).

The foreign observer group also advised the electoral umpire to allow presiding officers/assistant presiding officers to head straight to their respective centres ahead of time to enable them to commence accreditations on time.

In its post-election press conference in Owerri, Imo capital, the group’s head of mission, Dr. Enoch Ben Udensi noted that materials arrived early t many polling units, although some still experienced lateness of arrival of materials.

Udensi who was accompanied by Evelyn Aboyi and Winifred Andy both from Liberia, noted: “INEC still depends on the old method of deploying personnel and materials to polling units and this causes serious delay in the process.

It would be great in future, if INEC could consider using drones to deploy some key materials to RAC centres and allow Presiding officers/Assistant presiding officers to head straight to their respective centres ahead of time to commence accreditations on time.”

The observer group sadly noted that some party members and their agents still engage in Election Day lobbying and vote buying. “We saw this across party lines.”

While acknowledging BVAs as landmark introduction of INEC in election process in Nigeria, the group said the speed at which BVA processes information and the challenges of network connectivity is what INEC should seriously look at.

The group said the election recorded notable incidences of unrest in some local government areas of the state.

According to her, there were incidences of ballot snatching at some polling units in Ikeduru, Oru East, Owerri Municipal, and Oru West LGAs.

She said: “We also observed irregularities in the tallied results as shown in the portal. The elections in Imo State were conducted at variance with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 but we are hopeful that the electoral commission will pay attention to these irregularities and consider our recommendations and suggestions in our report for subsequent credibility in future elections.”(The Nation)

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