The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria on Monday in Abuja commended the Nigerian military for the professional conduct of its personnel during Saturday`s Presidential and National Assembly elections.
Emmanuel Onwubiko, HURIWA National Coordinator, made the commendation at a news conference in Abuja and advised the military to continue to adhere to due process in accordance with the Constitution in its dealings with the public.
Onwubiko said: “We have reliably gathered evidence from all parts of the country that there was a commendable level of compliance to the international principles obliging the military to adhere to the rules of engagement.”
He, however, decried the delay in announcing the election results by the Independent National Electoral Commission adding that the commission should have improved on the collation of results, following its experience in 2015.
He added that considering the fact that political party agents already had the election results from the constituency to the Local Government and State levels, the process ought to have been faster.
The national coordinator said delaying the election results longer than necessary could heat up the polity, adding that it was already becoming embarrassing to the country.
He stressed the need for INEC to improve on the electoral process, saying that issues of Card Reader malfunctioning and other hick-ups noticed during the elections should have been taken care of by the commission before the elections.
This, he said, was especially so, since the commission was never staved of funds by the Federal Government.
Onwubiko condemned the violence and killings that occurred in some states of the federation during the elections, especially in Lagos, Kogi and Rivers states, adding that the killings were avoidable.
He expressed the need for INEC to pay compensation to the families of those killed during the exercise, adding that those behind such killings should also be arrested and prosecuted.
He said: “The killings recorded in some states are very unfortunate; it is our considered opinion that INEC should pay compensation to those individuals that were killed.
“By the electoral Act, INEC is liable for anything that happens to anyone during election.”
Onwubiko noted that in Bayelsa, the Deputy Commissioner of Police in the state was rough handled, saying that this was unacceptable.
He said that all infractions during the elections should be investigated by relevant authorities and the perpetrators brought to book to serve as deterrent to others.
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