At Center for Journalism Innovation and DevelopmentThe Campus Reporter Observer (CJID) has been denied access to the polling centers in the 2023 Presidential and National Assembly elections. Regardless, the observers are the only ones under jurisdiction and therefore the organization cannot be said to have more than one representative as directed by INEC .
Observers have been waiting for rain, violence and dangerous conditions to ensure that the tallied results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are accurately reported to the public. However, some observers reported that they were denied access, and asked to vacate the premises where the collection of election results was taking place.
Kwara Central Senatorial Collation Center denied access to one observer on the ground because the observer’s tag only contained “field” and not “Collation Centre”. At the Sokoto South Senatorial District Gathering Centre, observers were escorted out of the gathering center by officers of the Department of State Services (DSS) despite having verified their identity as media observers.
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Also, at the Edo State INEC headquarters, CJID media observers were kicked out by the Chief Security Officer who claimed that the organization was not on the list of registered observers.
The CJID decried the poor treatment of INEC-accredited media observers assigned to monitor the election to ensure the validity and transparency of the process. We urge that all observers should be allowed to carry out their duties without interference in line with INEC guidelines.
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