Politics
2023: ActionAid Releases Report, Asks INEC To Address Challenges
International civil society organisation, Action Aid Nigeria, has released its initial reports from its observation of the Presidential and National Assembly elections, which were held last Saturday across the country.
According to the report, AAN had deployed 510 observers of the trained 650 to Lagos, Kano, Enugu, Rivers, Jigawa, Kaduna, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Niger, Delta, Ekiti, Kwara, Gombe, Taraba, and Yobe States.
To facilitate the processing from the field, ActionAid established a technical room that fed into the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room with processed data.
Part of the observations included cases of evidence of late arrival of INEC staff and election materials, arrival of INEC staff at polling units without security personnel and reported cases of disruption and violence in some polling units in Kogi, Akwa Ibom, Lagos, and Enugu states, and the FCT.
While commending INEC for its one-day extension of the Presidential and National Assembly polls in some affected areas which had voting challenges, the group called on the electoral body to critically examine the challenges, to avoid a repeat during the state elections, which are only weeks away.
The report read in part, “Our field observation reveals the following: Evidence of late arrival of INEC staff and election materials in many polling units, with some polling stations opening as late as 11.30am such as in Rivers State, Ward 17 under Obio/Akpor LGA and Okumagba II in Warri South, Olodi Primary School, Delta State at 2.30pm.
“INEC staff arrived at some polling units with sensitive materials without security personnel. Evidence of unsealed election materials with some already thumb-printed ballot papers (e.g. LEA primary school, Saburi, a suburb of DeiDei in FCT).
“Some polling units continued voting till the early morning of Sunday 26th while others, especially women may be disenfranchised because of the late-night voting. This is evident in Gwarinpa Estate 2, Tipper Garage polling unit, SunnyVale Estate, and Lugbe Ako, all in FCT. This may lead to fatigue and stress on INEC officials and subsequently irreversible errors and omissions during the voting, sorting, and counting processes. The extension of voting hours into the early hours of Sunday has also contributed to a delay in uploading results on INEC portal. The security of both INEC staff, Voters and voting materials could be compromised because of late-night voting.
“Reported cases of disruptions and violence in Dekina LGA, Kogi state, and in Ikpanya Ward in Ibio Ibom LGA of Akwa Ibom where thugs disrupt and destroy electoral materials. Ballot boxes in two polling units in Mafoluku by Ijaiye area, Lagos were reportedly burnt, and some INEC’s ad-hoc staff were assaulted for reportedly being involved in some electoral offences, leading to disruptions in some polling units in places like Abakpa, Enugu State and Lugbe in FCT.
“ActionAid commends INEC for extending the Presidential and Senate election by a day in some locations with voting challenges. This largesse needs to be extended to more locations across Nigeria where voting commenced late and all registered voters at the polling unit are yet to vote.
“Nevertheless, we enjoin INEC to critically examine the challenges experienced today so that a repeat of the same at the state level elections are avoided. And the locations where elections continue today or may be combined with the gubernatorial elections should be made public”.
The Rivers State House of Assembly yesterday resumed plenary session after a six-month state of emergency imposed on the state by President Bola Tinubu elapsed on Wednesday midnight.
President Bola Tinubu had lifted the emergency rule on September 17, with the Governor of the state, Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and members of the state assembly asked to resume duties on September 18.
The plenary was presided over by the Speaker of the House, Martins Amaewhule, at the conference hall located within the legislative quarters in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
The conference hall has served as the lawmakers’ temporary chamber since their official chamber at the assembly complex on Moscow Road was torched and later pulled down by the state government.
The outgone sole administrator of the state, Ibok-Ete Ibas, could not complete the reconstruction of the assembly complex as promised.
Recall that on March 18, President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers following the prolonged political standoff between Fubara and members of the House of Assembly loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
He subsequently suspended the governor, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and lawmakers for six months and installed a sole administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd.), to manage the state’s affairs.
The decision sparked widespread controversy, with critics accusing the president of breaching the Constitution.
However, others hailed the move as a necessary and pragmatic step.
During a press conference held in Owerri, the coalition called the campaign a “dangerous and shameful display” designed to distract the public from the governor’s performance in office.
The CSOs directly linked the Greater Imo Initiative (GII) —the group that made the allegations on September 4, 2025—to Governor Uzodimma, describing the group as his “mouthpiece and attack dog.”
“Every word spoken against INEC was spoken on his behalf.
“By falsely alleging that Professor Yakubu has an alliance with Dr. Amadi to compromise the 2027 elections, Uzodimma has not only maligned a man of proven integrity but also assaulted the very foundation of our democracy”, said Dr Agbo Frederick, speaking for the coalition.
The coalition described Professor Yakubu as a “beacon of electoral professionalism” and called the attempt to soil his reputation “defamatory and a national security risk.”
They also defended Dr. Amadi, a “respected development scholar,” stating that the governor’s accusations were “laughable, desperate, and dangerous.”
The CSOs see the motive behind the campaign as an attempt to “silence the dissent, intimidate the opposition, and divert attention from the governor’s abysmal record in office.”
The coalition issued four key demands to Governor Uzodimma: An immediate retraction of the false and defamatory allegations against Professor Mahmood Yakubu and Dr. Chima Amadi.
- A public apology to both men within seven days, to be published in at least three national newspapers and broadcast on major television networks.
- An end to diversionary tactics and proxy propaganda.
- A renewed focus on governance, including addressing insecurity, unemployment, and poverty in Imo State.
The CSOs warned that failure to comply would force them to “review our position with a view to seeking legal redress from Governor Uzodimma for defamation, false accusation, and reckless endangerment of lives.”
“Governor Uzodimma must be reminded that he did not find himself in the seat of power to chase shadows.
“We call on all Nigerians to reject Uzodimma’s diversionary antics as they are nothing short of desperate plots by a government terrified of accountability”, the statement concluded.
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