The Convener of the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, Mr Clement Nwankwo, is concerned about reports of violence from parts of the country during the Presidential and National Assembly elections, especially from Rivers State.
“It’s been a tense political environment. The campaigns and the rhetoric have been sometimes very harsh, and this has led to the violence that we have seen already,” Mr Nwankwo told Channels TV on Saturday night.
“(Since) we released that report (interim statement on the elections) in the late afternoon, the numbers of incidents have increased and report, particularly from Rivers, is worrying.”
Nwankwo also condemned reported cases of violence at some polling units in Lagos, and called for peace in subsequent elections.
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While regretting that many Nigerians were unable to cast their votes, he stressed that there was the need to reduce anxiety and tension that comes with the nation’s polls.
“I really think that this election should not come with so much anxiety and so much tension. Elections in Nigeria should not really be conducted with so much tension and violence around it,” he added.
Speaking on the arrests made during the election, he stated that some officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were quizzed by the security agencies for trying to disrupt the electoral process.
