Posted by Reuters on
Abuses and intimidation marred Nigeria's state elections and more than a quarter of results should be rejected, a local observers group said on Monday.
ABUJA (Reuters) - Abuses and intimidation marred Nigeria's state elections and more than a quarter of results should be rejected, a local observers group said on Monday.
There was widespread violence during Saturday's elections for 36 state governors in Africa's most populous nation, and about 50 people were killed.
The official electoral body says it was satisfied with the vote, which was a prelude to presidential polls on April 21.
But the Domestic Election Observers Group, a non-government coalition, said many polls were unfair.
"The elections were (so) marred by serious irregularities and malpractices that the results announced in many states ... cannot be said to have reflected the will of the people of the states and we therefore reject them," it said.
The group, which deployed 50,000 observers to watch the election, listed the 10 suspect states as Anambra, Adamawa, Delta, Edo, Enugu, Kogi, Nasarawa, Ogun, Ondo and Rivers.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) awarded the ruling People's Democratic Party victory in nine of these ten states, but cancelled Enugu and ordered a rerun.
Widespread violence followed the vote with opposition supporters taking to the streets to reject the results.
Democracy returned to Nigeria in 1999, ending three decades of almost continuous army rule, and these elections are meant to lead to the first handover from one elected president to another since independence in 1960.
In total, the INEC has announced PDP victories in 26 of 33 states where results have been issued. The elections in Enugu and Imo states were cancelled due to what INEC called widespread irregularities.
President Olusegun Obasanjo said in speech to the air force on Monday that Nigerians had taken a "giant stride" in consolidating democracy.
"I am happy to note that the gubernatorial elections conducted over the weekend have gone on fairly well across the country," he said at a parade ground in the capital.
Election observers from the European Union also delivered a highly critical verdict on Monday, saying they witnessed late or non-arrival of ballots, a lack of secrecy in voting, under-age voters and confusion over candidates in many places.
They also saw "significant discrepancies" between results announced at polling stations and at local government level.
"In several states where serious problems have been reported, INEC should undertake a comprehensive investigation and give serious consideration to re-running the process," the European Union observers said in a statement.
They deployed about 150 staff across across the country.