A civil society group that monitored Saturday’s local government elections in Nigeria’s Kogi State said many polling units opened without election officials or materials, and that turnout was low, though the vote was largely peaceful.
The Conscience for Human Right and Conflict Resolution (CHRCR), an accredited observer, said in a statement Monday that officials of the Kogi State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) arrived late at many of the polling units it observed, including in Lokoja, the state capital. At some locations, officials and materials never arrived.
The statement was signed by Idris Miliki Abdul, CHRCR’s executive director.
“Elections were held in some polling units,” the group said, while many others it observed lacked both.
The group said the voter register and election notices were not displayed to show where voting was to take place. It attributed the low turnout to voters lacking confidence, motivation and adequate information.
Despite the problems, CHRCR said the process was peaceful. It praised the early presence of security personnel at many polling units and said citizens’ movement was not restricted on election day, a practice it urged authorities to keep. Police, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Department of State Security escorted electoral materials to the local government areas on Oct. 16.
Few political party agents were present at the polling units observed, the group said. It criticized parties for failing to lead voter education and mobilization efforts, even though they are the “primary beneficiary.”
The SIEC chairman declared winners at about 1 a.m. on Oct. 18, based on results sent in by returning officers from the local governments. CHRCR said some observers, security personnel and the media witnessed the declaration.
The group also noted that international donors and agencies did not support or take part in the elections, which it called a worrying pattern. It said subnational polls matter as much as national ones.
The SIEC released the timetable for the 2026 council elections on Oct. 22, 2025, citing Section 197(1)(b) of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act, 2022.
CHRCR made several recommendations, including a one-day review meeting of security agencies, observers, parties, election officers and the media to assess the commission’s performance.
The group also called for publication of results on the commission’s new website, and a stronger digital and social media presence.
It recommended a permanent headquarters for the commission, and permanent offices and equipment in all local government areas, professionalization of SIEC staff, who it said are currently moved at random from government ministries and agencies, as well as direct payment to the commission of funds deducted from local government allocations, as required by the state’s 2025 local government law.
The group urged parties and candidates dissatisfied with the outcome to take their grievances to the election tribunal rather than “take laws into their hands.” It also called on citizens to stop spreading false information about the process.
