YOUTH-VOTE: Anambra Election Observation Report by SPACES FOR CHANGE

SPACES FOR CHANGE www.spacesforchange.org

YOUTH-VOTE: Bridging Online and Offline Communities in Election Observation

Enhancing Civic Participation, Election Vigilance through the Social Media

The Anambra Gubernatorial Election Observation Report

November 2013 2

About Spaces for Change-S4C Spaces for Change-S4C is a non-profit organization working to infuse human rights into social and economic governance processes in Nigeria. Through research, policy analysis, advocacy, youth engagement, public interest litigation and community action, the organization aims to increase the participation of Nigerian youth, women and marginalized constituencies in social and economic development, and also help public authorities and corporate entities to put a human rights approach at the heart of their decision-making.

Published by: Spaces for Change

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ÂŠ November 2013 Spaces for Youth Development and Social Change (Spaces for Change) All rights reserved. This book is copyrighted. The contents of this publication may be freely used and copied for educational and other non-commercial purposes, provided that any such reproduction is accompanied by an acknowledgement of Spaces for Change-S4C as the source.

Foreword Youth-Vote (YV) capitalizes on the accessibility of the social media to promote civic participation, especially of young people in democratic and political governance processes. YV is the brand name for a range of participatory, citizen-driven actions to uphold the will of the people, freely and fairly expressed through periodic elections. Under the auspices of Youth-Vote, the formation of an election vigilance network (EVM) is one of the strategies proposed during an online conversation involving a broad spectrum of young Nigerians across the country on Spaces for Change (S4C) Discussion Forum on Facebook on October 27, 2013. The conversation aimed to crowd-source ideas that the group (S4C) may employ to improve the monitoring of the Anambra governorship election, promote the integrity of electoral processes and establish the legitimacy of election results. EVM organizes and mobilizes citizens to engage in election vigilance using the social media, mainly Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+ and LinkedIn. In this regard, a group of observers stationed online throughout the election period strategically networked with observers on the field, tracking and culling election situation updates directly from field observers. They present and disseminate stories from the field to wider online and offline audiences, with unprecedented power and speed. The Anambra election provided an opportunity to test the efficacy of this strategy. EVN members developed a strategic alliance with accredited election observers at the Civil Society Election Situation Room (CSO-ESR) that convened in Awka, Anambra State to observe the Anambra State governorship election held on Saturday, November 16, 2013. The Situation Room comprises more than forty civil society organisations who have deployed observers across the entire local government areas of Anambra State. Leveraging technology and internet-based tools, 40 EVN volunteers maintained steady contact with CSO-ESR observers on the field, making sure there were continuous web information flow, determining content, writing short articles and headlines, selecting, editing and sharing photos and graphics from Anambra across the web. EVN represents a bold attempt to build an organized partnership between virtual and actual communities involved in election observation. This report is a compilation of EVN online broadcasts and activities on Anambra Election Day. It also reaffirms and underpins the work of the Civil Society Election Situation Room, particularly in the area of reporting and analysis of findings from the field. This report is not exhaustive, in that it mainly captures the role Spaces of Change played in the Election Situation Room on Anambra Election Day. We hope to build on the important lessons learned from this exercise to upscale our advocacy aimed at bolstering voter engagement and election management ahead of the nationwide poll in 2015. Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri Executive Director

Table of Contents 1. How Did We Do It? ………................................................Page 6 2. Voter Education……………………………………………………………Page 6 -

Youth-Vote Information Page………………………………Page 7

Youth Election-Role Analysis……………………………….Page 8

3. Voter Engagement……………………………………………………….Page 9 -

Why Youth Voter Apathy…………………………………..Page 10

4. Election Vigilance ………………………………………………………Page 12 -

Bridging Offline & Online Communities in Election Observation …………………………………………………….Page 12

Summary of Findings ……………………………………….Page 13

5. Anambra Election Observation Report…………………………Page 15 6. Breakdown of Voter Population, Polling Units and Voting Points……………………………………………………………………….Page 21 7. Short Notes on the Way Forward………………………………..Page 23

CHAPTER ONE

How Did We Do It?

YOUTH-VOTE

Voter Education

Voter Engagement

Election Vigilance

VOTER EDUCATION

Promoting youth participation in the democratic process is one of the cardinal objectives pursued by Spaces for Change (S4C). Youth-Vote (YV) aims to educate and engage communities, especially the youth populations with a history of non-voting, including those communities least likely to be reached by traditional voter outreach methods. YV believes that in order to effectively reform the electoral process, concerted efforts must be made to overturn voter apathy, particularly by stimulating public interest and participation in the entire electioneering developments: from the selection/emergence of candidates; formulation of political party manifesto; election campaigns; voting at elections up to the declaration of results. Proceeding upon this premise, an October 27, 2013 moderated online conversation1 on Spaces for Changeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 4, 303-member Facebook Discussion Forum invited group members to propose internet-based ideas for enhancing election monitoring and observation in Anambra. The 103 comments-long thread involving over 44 discussants

https://www.facebook.com/groups/spacesforchange/permalink/537135953034841/

generated a wide range of contributions and ideas ranging from the complex to the simplest web-based monitoring creativities. Proposed initiatives include the development of special election monitoring apps2; use of popular data mapping platforms like Ushahidi3, conducting voter education in rural communities using local dialects; use of SMS messaging services; creation of special toll free VOTER hotlines; designing a dedicated blog where voters can access simplified information about scheduled elections; and the formation of online election vigilance networks. For over three days, these ideas triggered debate and arguments detailing the pros and cons of the various proposals. With zero funding, except sheer youthful energy, uncommon volunteerism, and shared determination, S4C staff mobilized its group members and other interested citizens to test-run the efficacy of some of the proposed initiatives, using the Anambra election as a pilot intervention. Members went ahead to spearhead social change using their raw skills and tools available and accessible to them such as mobile phones, cameras, digital appliances and the social media to undertake on-the-spot image capturing, documentation and data transfer of election information across the web.

Youth-Vote (YV) Page On October 30, 2013, S4C created a dedicated Youth-Vote page on its blog and website designed to provide empowering facts and regularly updated information regarding the Anambra election. The success or otherwise of periodic elections depends on the level of voter preparedness to vote and protect their mandates. So, YV outlined some of the things voters needed to do before Election Day. For instance, YV publicized names and profiles of all the gubernatorial candidates; breakdown of voting populations, polling units and voting points; the telephone numbers of the Independent National Electoral Commissions (INECâ&#x20AC;&#x;)s Citizensâ&#x20AC;&#x; Contact Center and voter verification codes explaining how registered voters in Anambra can use their mobile phones to confirm their names on the votersâ&#x20AC;&#x; register.

For instance, an app is currently in use in India to report and map rape flash points. It requires users to install an app with special features on a mobile and digital device. 2

An open source project which allows users to crowdsource crisis information to be sent via mobile

We received some useful feedback. We recorded 22 persons who effectively used the voter verification codes. “I just confirmed mine. It is real and working”, says Onyebuchi Ogbaegbe on Facebook. Anigbogu Nzube says; “I am most grateful. I just verified and got confirmed”. That was another feedback on Facebook. There were also those who were skeptical about INEC‟s voter verification telephone numbers. For instance, Oladeji Adebayo feared political parties could probably use number to perpetuate electoral fraud. These fears were doused by linking doubters directly with those who have used the INEC platform effectively.

Youth Election-Role Analysis What roles did the Nigerian youth (and women) play in the Anambra elections held on November 16, 2013? Generally speaking, „youth” as commonly used in the Nigerian political parlance refers to persons within the 18-40 years age bracket. S4C published demographic facts detailing the roles played by the youth populations in the Anambra Election. Politics is relevant to young people and they must begin to feel part of the process. It was perceived that education on politics and political issues would increase awareness and many also felt interest among their peer group thus providing an incentive to become more involved in the future. Therefore, YV blog published the gender distribution of the voting population, and highlighted the specific roles played by persons within the 18-40 age bracket in the Anambra elections. Also published were inspiring messages crafted urging young people to take active interest in political and electoral processes, as a medium for effecting social change and good governance. The Anambra election prominently featured the youth in many roles in the electioneering process: as governorship and deputy governorship aspirants, INEC adhoc staff, election observers, election monitors and party agents. The level of youth

participation in this election is considered an improvement when compared to previous gubernatorial elections where young actors and voices were hardly visible. Only two political parties fielded candidates below 40 as their governorship flag bearers. Seven political parties fielded young men and women aged between 33-36 for the deputy governor position. Three political parties fielded women for the deputy governorship position. Two out of three women are below the age of 40. None of the parties fielded any woman as its governorship candidate. The few number of women considered for elective positions in the Anambra election is not unconnected with the historical exclusion of women from the formal arena of politics. Establishing quotas for womenâ&#x20AC;&#x;s representation at different levels of political governance is one of the main strategies for achieving this goal in many countries. It does not seem that most of the political parties recognize such a strategy. INEC also recruited 12,000 members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) as adhoc staff for governorship election in Anambra. The use of NYSC members as ad hoc staff was in line with the NYSC managementâ&#x20AC;&#x;s pledge to assist INEC in efforts to conduct hitch-free elections in the country. Additional corps members were recruited from Delta and Enugu states because Anambra did not have the required number of NYSC members required for the exercise.

CHAPTER TWO VOTER ENGAGEMENT Involvement of young people in the democratic process has been poor, prompting Spaces for Change to take advantage of its strong online presence to moderate series of group discussions illuminating how the youth can be actively encouraged to both register for, and vote during elections. SPACES FOR CHANGE‟s 4,303-member Discussion Forum (the 967-member S4C Political Forum) stand out as the most vibrant discussion groups on Facebook social networking site where young Nigerian professionals around the world congregate on a daily basis to engage in robust intellectual debates and learning exchanges about social, political and economic governance issues in Nigeria. S4C is particularly famed for its econferences, leveraging new media technology and Among several objectives, crowdsourcing tools to promote public awareness and YOUTH-VOTE’s voter facilitate citizen engagement in policy and public decisionengagement agenda goes making processes. beyond providing in-depth Among several objectives, YOUTH-VOTE‟s voter insight into all aspects of engagement agenda goes beyond providing in-depth the electoral process, insight into all aspects of the electoral process, election election administration, administration, political party ideology, voting procedures political party ideology, up to the declaration of results. Instead, it strategically voting procedures and the combines information delivery with the creation of spaces declaration of results. for engaging and interrogating intricate issues and Instead, it strategically concerns, while drawing useful feedback that guide electoral reforms. combines election information delivery with the creation of spaces for Why Youth Voter Apathy? engaging and interrogating intricate electoral issues and Among other factors, some of the identified leading causes of youth voter apathy in Nigeria are as follows: concerns, while drawing  Youth view electoral issues as highly complex useful feedback that subject, disconnected or irrelevant or „too removed‟ guide electoral reforms. to their current lives and problems. rom citizens.  Negative branding of politicians – (too many cartoons on the social media that brand politics negatively)  Too many “political oldies” (recycled politicians) in the „battle field” political arena  Older politicians do not encourage young people to aspire to leadership positions e.g. Former president Ibrahim Babangida (IBB) made a statement about youth‟s incapacity to lead. He later recanted.

 High skepticism about the capacity of the electoral process to deliver positive change

 Manifestoes were not youth-responsive: Majority felt that issues which were of importance to their age group were rarely on the political agenda of political parties  Limited opportunities to participate in the political process e.g PDP‟s 60 year-old youth leader  Ignorance or lack of knowledge about the electoral process and how to participate;  High costs associated with the electoral/political process  Do or die politics  Results do not reflect votes cast  Electoral violence: politicians will find them willing tools for perpetration of all kinds of illegalities Up until the eve of the Anambra election, S4C continued to post and moderate group discussions in its Discussion Forum and other Igbo-only online groups, targeting the voting populations in Anambra, urging them to go out and vote regardless of the huge demotivating factors. S4C also modified existing election information published by INEC, optimizing them for fast-and-easy reading and rapid online dissemination. Recognizing individual preferences for specific social media platforms, a special hastag: #SRAnambraVotes was created to enable diverse Twitter audiences interested in getting election updates to track and access that information with relative ease. Similarly, Facebook and Twitter timelines of private individuals with consistent high traffic were deployed to facilitate engagement and further expand the reach and spread of voter education and preparation.

CHAPTER THREE ELECTION VIGILANCE

Consistent with its objective of building citizensâ&#x20AC;&#x; confidence in the electoral process and enhancing the transparency and credibility of observed elections, Spaces for Change staff joined a team of accredited election observers between November 15- 18, 2013, in order to observe the Anambra gubernatorial election held on November 16, 2013. Observers closely monitored the time of arrival of electoral officials and materials, the conduct of law enforcement agents; the time accreditation started and ended in polling booths across the state. They also observed the voting and collation processes, reporting the strengths and lapses arising from the voting patterns, security arrangements and election management procedures and systems in general.

Bridging offline-Online Communities in Election Observation The Civil Society Election Situation Room (CSO-ESR) convened in Awka, Anambra State to observe the Anambra State governorship election. The Situation Room comprises more than forty civil society organisations who have deployed observers across the entire local government areas of Anambra State. On the field, accredited election observers visited polling units, observed voting and reported back to the Situation Room on the activities and conduct of election stakeholders, including voters, election officials, security services and the political parties. Off the field, designated volunteers maintained regular contact with observers on the field, reporting on-the-ground developments and transmitting the messages to wider online audiences. Leveraging technology and internet-based tools, 40 EVN volunteers deployed on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+ and LinkedIn maintained steady contact with CSO-ESR observers on the field, making sure there was continuous web information flow, determining content, writing short articles and headlines, selecting, editing and sharing photos and graphics from Anambra across the web. The data harvested from the tracking and dissemination activities were published in S4C blog and Discussion Rooms. The online transmissions also got media mentions in national print and electronic media, and also formed topics for online debates and youth engagement on the electoral processes and outcomes. Based on these reports,

S4C staff were invited to follow-up debates on national radio and television stations to offer analytical commentary on the electoral outcomes, and present the findings of its observation in the Anambra election.

Summary of findings The Anambra governorship election was widely viewed as a litmus test of the Independent National Electoral Commission's (INEC's) capacity to conduct free and fair elections in 2015. The early hours of the Election Day started off on a good footing, but this trend did not last throughout the election period and across the various electoral wards and polling units. Although there were no reports of violence, many irregularities were observed. The several failings of past elections identified in previous observer reports seem to have repeated themselves4. Security agents were deployed in sufficient numbers in most polling units, and these officers and men conducted themselves in a professional and commendable manner. However, the disenfranchisement of voters was observed following the omission of names in the votersâ&#x20AC;&#x; register. In some communities, the polling units were located far apart, making it difficult for some voters to reach their polling units5. The perennial issue of poor logistical coordination resurfaced, mainly evidenced by the late distribution of election materials to several polling units which affected the commencement of accreditation and voting in many areas. Election officials were not deployed in sufficient numbers to some polling units, making it difficult for the election officials posted to the units to effectively carry out their duties6. In addition, no voting took place in some locations within the state. Overall, the people of Anambra State conducted themselves in an orderly and peaceful manner despite the challenges 4

Press Statement. Civil Society Election Situation Room. November Seventeen, 2013 5 Press Statement. Civil Society Election Situation Room. November Sixteen, 2013 6 Press Statement. Civil Society Election Situation Room. November Seventeen, 2013.

and difficulties experienced during the elections. After deploying 16 National Electoral Commissioners, 5 Resident Electoral Commissioners and over a hundred thousand security personnel to oversee an election in a single state, coupled with the extended period of preparation, the massive shortcomings surrounding the Anambra guber poll are distressing. These challenges, in addition to the generally low voter turnout reported by observers, call for a concerted effort by INEC to ensure that registered voters are not disenfranchised and that voter apathy is addressed in future elections7.INECâ&#x20AC;&#x;s announcement of supplementary elections in areas where elections failed to or were cancelled represents INECâ&#x20AC;&#x;s admission of these lapses, and puts a question mark on its preparedness to conduct future elections8. These problems and lapses identified in the Anambra State Governorship elections are systemic in nature, and may not be sufficiently addressed before the announced supplementary elections in the State, except INEC demonstrates serious commitment and political will to address them9. As the 2015 elections draw closer, the Anambra poll is an eye-opener to the many gaps that need bridging, the thorny problems that need tackling and the mechanisms that need strengthening.

7 Press Statement. Civil Society Election Situation Room. November Sixteen, 2013

Press Statement. Civil Society Election Situation Room. November Eighteen, 2013

CHAPTER FOUR ANAMBRA ELECTION OBSERVATION REPORT Heavy Security Presence | Peaceful Policing | Limitations to Movement INEC imposed a 22- hour curfew, beginning from 10 p.m on Friday, November 15, 2013 preceding the Election Day. The Civil Society Election Situation Room urged the Independent National Electoral Commission to relax the 22-hour curfew to enable the electorate exercise their franchise without fear of molestation and intimidation10. The deployment of over a hundred thousand security personnel (comprising the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Police Force and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps) to Anambra saw the entire state heavily-militarized and policed throughout the election period. On Election Day, the major highways and streets were deserted, forcing a temporary halt in all social and economic activities. Security operatives cordoned off one side of the road leading to the Police State Command Road. The Situation Room Election Observers witnessed heavy presence of security officials along that road, and at the beginning of Peter Obi Avenue in Amawbia. There were police checkpoints stationed almost every 100-200 meters. Pedestrians were seen going about their normal duties. Those with vehicles were required to identify themselves before they are allowed to pass. When the CSO observers passed the popular Ekwulobia junction, they were stopped severally by heavily-armed soldiers at military check points stationed every distance of 200 meters. Security officials politely asked questions, checked identity cards and searched the car. In general, the security operatives conducted themselves properly on Election Day. As one of the Election Vigilance Network (EVN) members, Chika Osueze, noted, â&#x20AC;&#x153;many people had doubted the possibility of a peaceful election in Anambra, especially

taking into consideration that previous elections in the State have been volatile. At last, the good people of Anambara might be proving many predictors wrong by conducting a peaceful election for the first time in her historyâ&#x20AC;?. However, there were concerns that security officers: police, soldiers and NSCDC officials were not paid their entitlements. They were deployed 5 days to the election day from Kogi and Delta. As at the day of election, neither accommodation nor welfare provisions have been made for them.

Press Statement. Civil Society Election Situation Room. November Fifteen, 2013

Early Arrival of Voting Materials | Early Commencement of Accreditation in Some Localities Early accreditation is pivotal to the success of any election. Accreditation was scheduled to commence at 8.00 a.m, and conclude at 12.30 p.m. while actual voting would commence at 1.00p.m. INEC electoral regulations require that all persons already on queue must be attended to even after the stipulated 12.30.p.m. deadline until the last person is accredited. Election observers deployed by the Civil Society Election Situation Room (CSO-ESR) got to the Polling Booth at the Primary Health Center, Nibo at 9.04 a.m. Few voters were present. Electoral officials and ad hoc staff, currently participating in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) were seen getting ready to commence accreditation. Voting materials arrived early. As at 9.47 a.m., they also observed that accreditation was in progress at Ezinano Polling Booth 026, Aniocha Local Government Area (LGA). As at 11. 30 a.m., accreditation was in progress at polling units 001,002 and 003 at Umuowelle Primary School, Agulu village, Ward 3, Aniocha LGA. Fairly large crowd gathered there, waiting for voting to commence.

Polling Unit at Primary Health Center, Nibo

Low Voter Turnout Despite the massive campaigns by some of the gubernatorial candidates and political parties, there was low turnout during the Anambra State governorship election. As at 9.23 a.m., accreditation had commenced in most polling units in Agulu, but very few voters were present. In Agulu Ward 3, Polling Unit 028, the CSO Situation Room observer team observed that accreditation was in progress at Umonnowu Village Hall 2 as at 9.27 a.m. By 10.13a.m., the CSO Election Situation Room Team stopped at Polling Unit 005, at the Enugwu Nanka Village Hall, Orumba North. Accreditation was in progress. Few voters were seen. At the Health Center, Umuekpili junction, Ula Village, Ekwulobia LG, Polling Unit 017, out of 525 registered voters, only 37 has been accredited as at 10.40 a.m. 37 is just a miserly 7% of the registered voters in that area. Isah Danladi, a member of the EVN reporting from Odoakpu Ward, Onitsha South reported that accreditation was also in progress at his polling station as at 10.00a.m. Everywhere was calm and peaceful. A fairly large crowd gathered at Polling Units 005,006,007 at Oganiru Primary School, Uga Ward 2, Aguata LGA. Voters were waiting for voting to commence at 12 noon. Everywhere was calm. Many female voters were seen. In some communities such as Enugwu Nanka and Ula, the polling units were located far apart, making it difficult for some voters to reach their polling unit. Photo: Agulu Ward 3, Polling Unit 028. Accreditation in progress

Evidence of significant low turnout can be gleaned from the table below which outlines the polling units visited and the number of accredited voters that had cast their votes at the time of observation.

TABLE 1:

Polling Units, Registered Voters and Accreditations (16/11/2013)

Polling Unit

Time Visited

Registered Vote

Voters Accredited

Already Voted

Agulu 026

2:40pm

268

Owelle 2

2:50pm

352

Owelle 1

2:55pm

307

Owelle 3

2:58pm

406

110

Practicing Sch. 2

3:02pm

550

131

Agulu town hall 2

3:10pm

375

106

101

Agulu town hall 1

3:15pm

378

100

Ojiakor School 1

3:25pm

375

123

109

Ojiakor School 2

3:32pm

471

140

114

Obeledu School 2

3:45pm

481

122

120

Obeledu School 1

3:53pm

321

111

Generally speaking, voter turnout is so low due to lack of education, apathy, and the perception that votes do not count. The reasons for the very low voter turnout in Anambra must be studied carefully, and strategies put in place to minimize large-scale apathy in future elections.

Majority of Voter Population Were Old Persons All over the places visited, majority of the voters were old people, that is persons aged 60 and above. In other words, youth voter apathy was observed across the polling units and local government areas visited. According to an EVN member, Prince Ifeanyi Sunday, he attributed the youth voter apathy in rural areas to rural-urban migration which has seen the local youth leave the villages to the city centers in search of greener pasture. According to himÂ¸ â&#x20AC;&#x153;in Igbo land you cano't find the youths in the villages anymore. Go to Onitsha and you will find

the youths there”. Ugochukwu Isa Enedah concurs. “Most youths are registered in the big cities outside the state. The only place you can get a high number of registered youth voters are Awka, Onitsha and Nnewi”, he says. The introduction of citizenship education as a compulsory subject in secondary and post-secondary schools is one strategy that may help address voter apathy, and in particular, encourage young people to become more involved in the electoral process. In about nineteen countries, legislations have been passed which make voting compulsory for every citizen aged 18 years and above. In Australia for instance, all citizens, 18 years of age and over, are required by law to register to vote, and vote in all federal, state and territory elections. Registered voters who fail to vote may be fined or imprisoned. In this photo, the CSO Situation Room Election Observers team met the woman below. "I must cast my vote today", 75 year old Mama Nmazi said. She was seen walking slowly to her polling unit aided by her walking street.

Photo comments from Spaces for Change Election Vigilance Network members Adesoji Adebisi: Did you notice the elderly man walking the grandchild in the background? All road leads to the polling booth. Innovate Africa: Indeed. A good day, and a great hope. I wish all the people of Anambra well as they go out to vote. May their leaders show the same level of responsibility as voters are showing. Cletus Ogwuche: This is patriotism.

A very old woman slowly walks up the hill on her way to the polling station at Umuowelle Primary School.

Majority of Voters were Women

Female voters cluster at a corner in Umuowelle Primary School waiting for voting to commence.

In all the local governments and polling stations visited, majority of the voters were seen were women. Most of them clustered in different spots at the polling station, after being accredited, and waited patiently for voting to commence.

Late Arrival of Voting Materials | No Accreditation | No Voting At All In Idemili North, around Nkpor Spare Parts and Our Lady Catholic Church, INEC officials were not around and no accreditation had taken place as at 12 noon. Similar reports were filed in from Ogbaru, Obosi, Idemili North and Idemili South LGAs. The late arrival of, and in some places, the non-arrival of voting materials was attributed to the perennial challenge of late arrival of election officials and materials. In some cases, election officials were not deployed in sufficient numbers to some polling units, making it difficult for the election officials posted to the units to effectively carry out their duties At Oroukwu Community Primary School, and at St. Thomas Catholic Church Community Center, the EC8 sheets used for declaring election results were unavailable. As a result

voters refused to cast their votes. Voters waited until the Supervising Polling Officer arrived at 3pm with the EC8 sheets before voting commenced. No elections were held in Abatete. Election materials had not arrived as at 12 noon even though a large crowd had gathered waiting for voting materials to arrive. No voting took place there as well. About the same time, news reports on Africa Independent Television (AIT) reported INEC to have stated that “it is aware of the logistical challenges in the commencement of accreditation in Idemili North and South LGAs but assures that elections will be conclusively conducted, with time extension allowed as may be necessary”11. Party Agents and Politicians Sharing Money In Nnewi North, one of the gubernatorial candidates was allegedly moving around during the elections. Some local residents told the CSO-ESR observers that the guber candidate shared N3,000 to voters at Enem Hall, in Nnewi-North Local Government Area. At Nteje, Oyi Local Government, Polling Unit 004, party agents offered election observers envelopes suspected to be containing money. When the observers declined the offer, they were chased away, and prevented from monitoring the election. No security operatives were present. However, the Situation Room observers deployed to Nnewi reported that there was impressive voter turnout at Nnewi and Ihiala.

Missing Names on the Voters’ Register | Electoral Irregularities Some voters could not find their names in their voters‟ register in a number of polling units. At a polling unit in Alor, Idemili South Local Government Area, the names of voters starting with O and U could not be found on the voters' register, and the affected voters disenfranchised. In Orie-Ogbe polling unit, Nnewi, over 700 names were missing in the voters‟ register. Another team of observers also reported that at Polling Unit 019 in Ogidi Ward, some unknown persons stormed into the polling unit and snatched the ballot box away while voting was in progress. At Nteje, Oyi Local Government, Polling Unit 004, election observers were offered envelopes suspected to be money. When the observers declined the offer, they were chased away, and prevented from monitoring the election. No security operatives were present.

INEC Press Statement. November Sixteen 2013

Rescheduled Election in Idemilli South and Idemilli North Was Unsuccessful The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) rescheduled elections rescheduled the Anambra governorship election in 65 polling units in Obosi, Idemili North local government â&#x20AC;&#x153;due to serious logistics and related challenges12â&#x20AC;? experienced in those areas. Spaces for Change staff and CSO-ESR members visited some of the polling units and wards in Idemili North Local Government Area. They observed that election was not fully conducted as detailed below:

Ifite Abaja Abatete, Idemilli North (Ward 022 and 023) Voters had been waiting at the polling booth since 8am No election or sign of any INEC official as at 1:20pm

Ifite Abaja Abatete, Idemilli North (Ward 020 and 021) Voters had been waiting at the polling booth since 8:30am No Election or sign of any INEC official as at 1:55pm

Central School 1 and 2, Ogidi, Idemilli North (Ward 15, 16, 17 and 18) Voters had been waiting at the polling booth since 9am No Election or sign of any INEC official as at 2:25pm

Enugwu Ukwu Ofor, Idemilli North (Ward 031 and 032) Voters waited at the polling booth since 9am No Election or sign of any INEC official as at 2:58pm Youth as Party Agents

Local youth were actively engaged in the electoral process, as the governorship election offered them the chance to stand as party agents, governorship and deputy governorship contenders. 12

INEC Press Statement. November Sixteen 2013, - See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/11/inec-reschedules-anambra-guber-election-65-pollingunits/#sthash.FreyofRG.dpuf

The party agents below, representing the All Progressive Grand Alliance and the All Progressives Congress were seen at Umonnowu Village Hall 2, Agulu, Anambra. S/N LGA

Wards

Registered Voters

No. of Pus

Voting Points

Aguata

101, 974

300

381

Ayamelum

55, 936

173

199

Anambra East

61, 178

200

243

Anambra West

43,172

158

173

Anaocha

76, 812

310

333

Awka North

44, 159

130

163

Awka South

118, 312

255

414

Dunukofia

45, 289

146

176

Ekwusigo

62, 318

175

222

10.

Idemili North

173, 832

306

592

11.

Idemili South

85, 731

200

309

12.

Ihiala

113, 783

278

402

13.

Njikoka

70, 415

201

252

14.

Nnewi North

112,121

198

388

15.

Nnewi South

57, 069

295

300

16.

Ogbaru

139, 057

293

491

17.

Onitsha South

123, 466

200

417

18.

Onitsha North

117, 332

201

386

19.

Orumba North

61, 321

231

267

20.

Orumba South

46, 100

192

211

21.

Oyi

75, 159

166

262

Totals

326

1, 784, 536

4, 608

6, 581

Table 1: Breakdown of Voter Population, Polling Units and Voting Points Gender Distribution of Voter Population

Females - 900,701 (50.5%) ď&#x192;&#x2DC; Males - 883, 835 (49.5%) ď&#x192;&#x2DC;

Short Notes on the Way Forward by Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri “In terms of internal reorganization, one of the things INEC needs to do is to stop providing politicians with sufficient legal grounds for overturning electoral victories in court. It must certainly and strategically depart from the current pattern of conducting elections in a way that injures the legitimacy of the winner in advance. Widespread election irregularities provide fertile grounds for protracted election disputes, increasing the probability of court-imposed regime change and disruptions in the political governance chain. Where court-ordered elections are conducted, the huge costs associated with such repeat exercises constitute additional drain on the national treasury. It is instructive to note that the defeated may understandably complain and head to the courts to challenge poll results, but INEC must ensure that elections are conducted in a way that does not provide all the needed armaments for such judicial fireworks. The other thing that needs to change is the dearth of consequences for its logistical failures and recurring institutional inadvertence. For instance, the disappearance of names on the voters‟ register is an institutional blunder that does not constitute any electoral offence, and attracts no penalty. In the same way, the Electoral Act does not consider the late distribution of election materials to the various wards and polling units as infringements worthy of punitive action. As long as consequences don‟t exist, failings baptized as “logistical challenges” will remain a recurrent decimal in future elections. This must change. The season of attributing its customary flaws in election management to staff misconduct must come to an end. Beyond admitting that one of its officials „messed up arrangements” in Idemili North and South Local government areas of Anambra State, INEC has no historical record of enforcing disciplinary action on its erring personnel. Another sad example that readily comes to mind is the Anambra Central Senatorial election. It would be recalled that INEC then empanelled a probe team to investigate the Resident Electoral Commissioner and two returning officers and impose appropriate sanction. Till this day, the implicated electoral officers have not been brought to justice, nor were the findings of the probe publicly disclosed. Without consequences and stiffer deterrence measures, it is very unlikely that the recurrent involvement of INEC officials in electoral misconduct will be reversed”.

Culled from the article: AN OPEN ADVICE TO INEC published on Daily Times of Nigeria on November 19, 2013