The Joint Election Observation Mission of the International Republican Institute and the National Democratic Institute, on Monday, picked holes in Saturday’s presidential and National Assembly elections, saying the exercise fell short of “reasonable expectation of Nigerians”.

The 40-member delegation of the two United States-based institutes led by a former President of Malawi, Joyce Banda, said logistical challenges and multiple incidents of political violence overshadowed the electoral process and disenfranchised a substantial number of voters.

The JEOM Joint Election said these in their preliminary statement and recommendations, which were made available to journalists in Abuja.

The IRI and NDI said members of the team were deployed across all the six geo-political zones of the country to observe all stages of the voting process.

The organisations said their observations informed the preliminary findings and practical recommendations to improve future elections.

The preliminary statement read, “The mission notes that despite the much-needed reforms to the the Electoral Act 2022, the election fell well short of Nigerian citizens’ reasonable expectations.

“Logistical challenges and multiple incidents of political violence overshadowed the electoral process and impeded a substantial number of voters from participating.

“Ongoing currency and fuel shortages also imposed excessive burdens on voters and election officials, and Nigerian marginalised groups, especially women, continue to face barriers to seeking and obtaining political office.

“At the close of the polls, challenges with the electronic transfer of results and their upload to a public portal in a timely manner undermined citizen confidence at a crucial moment of the process.

“Moreover, inadequate communication and lack of transparency by the Independent National Electoral Commission about their cause and extent created confusion and eroded voters’ trust in the process.

“The combined effect of these problems disenfranchised Nigerian voters in many areas, although the scope and scale is currently unknown.”

However, the delegation maintained that despite the issues, Nigerians demonstrated their commitment to the democratic process.

“As the nation awaits the results of the February 25 polls and the Nigerian people prepare for upcoming gubernatorial elections, we urge political actors and their supporters to remain calm and exercise restraints,” the US institutes said.

Meanwhile, the ECOWAS Electoral Observation Mission to Nigerian has urged the presidential candidates who participated in the Saturday’s election to respect the outcome to be announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

The mission said the candidates should seek redress through legal means if not pleased with the outcome rather than resort to violence.

In a statement on Monday by the Head of the Mission and former President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Ernest Bai Koroma, it urged the political actors to prevail on their supporters to shun acts capable of causing unrest in the country.

The statement partly read, “They should encourage party members and followers to desist from the use of inflammatory utterances and acts liable to incite violence in the post-electoral phase.”

It added, “The Mission wishes to underscore the importance of the Nigerian elections for the entire ECOWAS region, the Federal Republic of Nigeria being the powerhouse of the ECOWAS region.

“Accordingly, and in line with ECOWAS’ preventive diplomacy mandate, the Mission will intensify its post-electoral engagement with the candidates, the parties, INEC, and the critical political stakeholders, to facilitate the legal and peaceful resolution of any emerging disputes from the polls.”