2023 Elections: NHRC Condemns Human Rights Violations, Commends INEC
The National Human Rights Commission has commended Nigerians for turning out in unprecedented numbers across the county to elect a new president and members of the national assembly on Saturday.
The commission stated this on Sunday in Abuja at a preliminary briefing on the 2023 presidential and national assembly elections.
The commission said that it deployed Eight Hundred Human Rights Monitors across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to monitor the rights to vote of Nigerians in the exercise of their civic rights.
Speaking at the briefing, the Executive Secretary of the Commission, Tony Ojukwu (SAN), regretted that there were reports of voter suppression and intimidation of INEC officials by some party supporters and thugs during the 2023 presidential and national assembly elections.
Ojukwu said the voter suppression occurred mostly in Rivers, Delta, Lagos, Kogi and Imo.
“Our monitors also noted that in some polling units, INEC officials did not come with essential electoral materials, including stamps, inks. In 5 polling units in Maiduguri, BVAS which is an essential element of the voting process is not available” he said.
The commission regretted cases of human right violations attributed to security agents as they use force and extral-judicial killings during the elections.
Vote buying was reported in 42 locations across the country by Human Rights Monitors, particularly in Lagos, Imo, Sokoto, Jigawa, Edo, Nasarawa, Jigawa and Kogi States. Voters were offered money or other incentives to influence their votes” he added.
He called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to ensure that Nigerians who were disenfranchised on Election Day are able to vote in the rescheduled elections.
Ojukwu called on Nigerians to remain calm, patriotic and loyal to the laws of Nigeria, as they should eschew violence of all kinds and see the elections as a contest that will produce winners and losers.
