The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has said only eight percent of voters rated the February 25 Presidential and National Assembly elections as poor.
NBA National Publicity Secretary, Akorede Lawal, said in an issued statement on Tuesday, that this was part of the findings contained in the interim report of the NBA Election Working Group.
The interim report was based on the reports sent to the NBA 2023 Elections Situation Room by the NBA Election Observers from the 36 States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT).
Recall that NBA President, Yakubu Maikyau on January 12, constituted the NBA Election Working Group, chaired by Mrs. Linda Rose Bala, the 1st NBA Vice-President, with the mandate to constitute the NBA Observation Team and liaise with the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) for members of the Team to be accredited to observe the 2023 General Elections.
There were challenges, definitely. There were some infractions, some of them actually constituted electoral offences but on the whole, I will score INEC as having performed maybe about 78, 80 percent in the delivery of these elections, Maikyau said.
The report is in sync with comments made by NBA Presidents comments on a television programme that despite challenges, INEC performed well in the delivery of the elections. However, his view has been criticised by some lawyers, who scored the electoral umpire below par, just as some political parties have challenged the election results.
The NBAs interim report also noted several problems with the poll. It urged INEC to fix all bugs or glitches in the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines before the March 11 governorship and state assembly elections.
The Bar also asked INEC to exclude its collation and returning officers with proven cases of misconduct in the February 25 elections from the forthcoming polls.
The NBA also commended Nigerians for their resilience and perseverance in carrying out their civic duties during the Presidential and National Assembly elections and encouraged citizens to show the same values and resolve in the forthcoming Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections.
