A group of ten Nigerian civil society organizations have warned that next month’s presidential elections are at serious risk of manipulation in 22 states across the country in the form of falsification of votes or voter registration, among other crimes.
In its document, presented last Friday and reported by Premium Times, the coalition puts the states of Imo, Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi, Abia, Rivers, Akwa-Ibom, Lagos, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, Kwara, Niger, Plateau, Taraba, Kaduna, Bauchi, Adamawa, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto and Jigawa on red alert.
These organizations warn that attempts to distort election results «through manipulation strategies are on the increase» and call on citizens to make use of the report presented on Friday — Electoral Manipulation Risk Index (EMRI) — to be on the lookout for any irregularities.
The report was prepared by Yiaga Africa, the Center for Journalism Innovation and Development, SBM Intelligence, Dataphye, International Press Center, the Institute for Media and Society, Partners for Electoral Reform, the Albino Foundation, the Kukah Center and Enough Means Enough Nigeria.
The February 25 elections are marked by the end of incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari’s term in office and such significant candidacies as those of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Lagos Governor Ahmed Bola Tinubu and former Anambra Governor, Peter Obi, in the midst of a major security crisis due to the activity of «bandits» and the expansion of terrorist organizations such as Boko Haram and its offshoot, Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA) into other parts of northern and central Africa.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
