The National Intelligence Agency (NIA) has sparked a new debate on the accreditation of foreign election observers by the Nigerian government, suggesting that it should be reviewed in the national interest and for security reasons. The NIA has argued that foreign election observers should be put on a watchlist for national security reasons.
The Director-General of NIA, Ahmed Abubakar, represented by Hamza Mohammed, the agency’s Head of General Operations, made this statement during a symposium titled ‘Elections Monitoring and Observation: 2023 General Election and Way Forward,’ jointly organized by the African Union Development Agency – New Partnership for Africa’s Development and the National Institute of Security Studies.
During the event, the national coordinator and CEO of AUDA-NEPAD Nigeria, Gloria Akobundu, discussed their nationwide awareness campaign for violence-free elections and the establishment of a Situation Room to monitor and observe the 2023 general election.
For the 2023 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) accredited 33 foreign organizations, deploying 2,113 observers to monitor the polls.
The NIA DG emphasized the need for more attention to be paid to foreign observers, stressing that reports made by these organizations on Nigerian elections should be scrutinized by the government. He also highlighted the challenges posed by social media and the need to counter fake messages distributed during elections.
The acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulkarim Chukkol, represented by Adariku Micheal, Deputy Head of General Investigative Section in Abuja Zonal Command, advocated for stringent punishment against vote buying, suggesting that the N100,000 penalty for perpetrators was insufficient to combat the act. The presence of anti-graft agencies in polling units was noted as a deterrent to vote buying.
The Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig. General Yusha’u Ahmed, represented by Ayodele Omotade, Director of Corps Welfare and Health Services, called for the review of allowances paid to corps members during elections, emphasizing that the allowances do not commensurate with the level of risk involved in the job.
In conclusion, Dr. Adegboyega Karim, Director of Research, Estimates, and Library Services at NISS, presented the 2023 general elections report and recommended that INEC conduct a simulation exercise with critical stakeholders to identify and address any loopholes in the delivery of materials to polling units ahead of elections. Additionally, he suggested heavy security deployment in flashpoints to deter and deal with any attacks from hoodlums.