*Photo L-R:Mr Saka Azimazi, Human Rights Expert; Mufuliat Fijabi, CEO of GEW Room of NWTF and Mr Rabiu Sabo, Technical Expert in GEW during a post-election press briefing of GEW on Presidential and National Assembly elections on Wednesday in Abuja.*
Gender and Election Watch (GEW) observation group has said that the conduct of the Saturday’s presidential and National Assembly election was largely peaceful though there were pockets of violence.
Mufuliat Fijabi, the Chief Executive Officer, GEW Room of the Nigerian Women Trust Fund (NWTF) stated this, on Wednesday, during a post-election briefing in Abuja.
Fijabi, who said that the group deployed 400 accredited observers for the polls, said the participation of women as voters, poll officials and candidates were highly commendable.
According to her, the elections witnessed the resilience of many Nigerians, especially women who participated as voters, poll officials and candidates.
She, however, expressed worry over the percentage of women candidates in the polls.
“Women are resilient and committed to a truly democratic process although the turnout of women need to continue to improve,” she said.
Fijabi, who acknowledged the efforts of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), asked for stronger efforts to consolidate on the gains made so far “and to continue to guarantee Nigerians that their votes truly count.”
“However, the challenges associated with the delays experienced in the opening of polls, pockets of disruption and the slow and untimely upload of results on the IREV remain strong concerns for Nigeria’s democracy,” she said.
While commending technological innovations in elections, she said thorough testing was a necessity before affirmation to avoid irregularities that could mar an entire electoral process.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the GEW Room, is an initiative of NWTF, an organisation founded to close the gender gaps in governance in Nigeria.
The group deployed its team across the FCT and seven states which include Adamawa, Kogi, Kano, Lagos, Oyo, Rivers and Anambra. (NAN)
