NIGERIAN GUBERNATORIAL ELECTIONS - SITREP 3

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 000709 SIPDIS SIPDIS DOE FOR CAROLYN GAY E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV KDEM NI ELECTIONS SUBJECT: NIGERIAN GUBERNATORIAL ELECTIONS - SITREP 3 REF: A. ABUJA 707 ¶B. ABUJA 708 ABUJA 00000709 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. SUMMARY: The appointed hour for the close of polls has passed, but many polling stations remain open. Throughout the country, the elections were delayed for a minimum of two hours and in some places polling did not begin until after 1400 hrs., primarily due to absence of voting materials. INEC officials announced that polling hours would be extended, but the application of this depended on the poll workers at each location. Mission has received reports from many locations throughout the nation that the ballots contained errors: parties missing, disqualified candidates included, qualified candidates excluded and variable colors in the same polling unit for the same election. For now, it is unclear what the reaction of Nigerians will be to the shortcomings of the elections, but it is obvious that, in terms of logistics, this election was no improvement over ¶2003. Levels of violence appear to be greater than in 2003. END SUMMARY. ¶2. There follow reports from each of Nigeria's geographic regions. It is too early to draw overall conclusions. NORTHWEST -------------- ¶3. In the Northwest region, reports are mixed. Controversy abounds as to the validity of he electoral process. In Katsina state, reports that virtually all the ballot boxes were delivered to local politicians before arriving at polling places pre-filled with ballots have upset most of the opposition politicians. Governor Yar'adua (the PDP Presidential candidate) did not vote and speculation is whether it was for fear for his safety or for medical reasons. In Sokoto state, very little violence has been reported. Mission observers in Kano, though, had to return to their hotels before the counting began due to violence throughout the city. NORTH CENTRAL -------------- ¶4. The Independent television network and political contacts report many instances of ballot boxes stolen by "thugs" in Kwara and Kogi states. Mission observers either heard or observed similar cases in Benue and Plateau states. Elections ran smoothly in Suleja, a part of Niger state on the border with Abuja, according to Mission observers. The level of tension does not appear as high in this region as in others. NORTHEAST -------------- ¶7. In the Northeast, as in the Northwest, elections took place. The quality of the election ran from passable in parts of Bauchi to confused or non-existent in parts of Adamawa. IRI reports many instances of thugs in Gombe stealing ballot materials. Similar incidents were reported in some parts of Bauchi and in Adamawa states as well. SOUTHEAST -------------- ¶8. The Southeast saw an almost total breakdown of electoral activity. According to IRI, elections in Imo state (the only state in this region that saw ballot materials in any abundance) were characterized by ballot stuffing, multiple voting and removal of boxes by unauthorized people. In Anambra state, at least one half of the state sent voters home without voting and the other half was characterized by questionable practices. In Enugu state, home of Senate President Ken Nnamani, voting materials were not delivered to locations in the city until after 1500 hrs., and in the outlying regions of the state, delivery did not take place until 1700 hrs. Nnamani called on a postponement of the election in Enugu and other areas of the country where problems occurred (septel). Voting was late and limited in Abia and Ebonyi, as well. This region remains tense. ABUJA 00000709 002.2 OF 002 SOUTH SOUTH -------------- ¶9. In the South-South region, Edo state was the outstanding performer. According to Mission observers, ballots were available, voting took place and the counting is proceeding without much problem. In Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers states, as in 2003, no elections took place. There was fighting among political partisans and security services throughout the area. Many police stations and INEC offices were burnt. Observers for Human Rights Watch and local observers found no functioning polling places. In Cross River state, where some type of election took place, IRI reports that the police and security agents were "encouraging" voters to mark their ballots for the ruling PDP. SOUTHWEST -------------- ¶10. Like the Northwest, reports from this region are mixed. In Ekiti state, international observers say that elections were delayed and ballots and ballot boxes were stolen. Despite a late start and some incidents throughout the day, polling proceeded in most parts of Lagos state. ¶11. COMMENT: For now, it is unclear what the reaction of Nigerians will be to the shortcomings of the elections, but it is obvious that, in terms of logistics, this election was no improvement over 2003. The number of security incidents reported to Embassy also exceeds the 2003 benchmark. It remains for the people of Nigeria to judge the validity of the April 14 polling. CAMPBELL