Nigeria’s 2019 Elections Weren’t Credible, Say Civil Society Groups 

(Bloomberg) -- Nigeria’s 2019 general elections weren’t credible due to logistical failures by the electoral commission, interference by the military, widespread violence and voter suppression, the Nigerian Civil Society Situation Room, a coalition of 70 civic groups that monitored the vote, said.

President Muhammadu Buhari won a second four-year term in office while the ruling All Progressives Congress secured a comfortable majority in the National Assembly, defeating the main opposition People’s Democratic Party and its candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in the Feb. 23 vote, according to official results by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

“The 2019 elections failed to meet the threshold for a credible election,” the group, known as the Situation Room, said Tuesday in an emailed statement. “This poses serious questions about the future of elections and quality of democracy in Nigeria.”

Abubakar, a former vice president and Buhari’s closest rival in the presidential election, is pursuing a petition in the courts challenging the victory of the ruling party.

The Situation Room group is recommending urgent reforms to deal with identified shortcomings and improve the integrity of Nigerian elections.

To contact the reporter on this story: Ruth Olurounbi in Abuja at rolurounbi4@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Paul Richardson at pmrichardson@bloomberg.net, Dulue Mbachu, Alastair Reed

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