On Monday, the ECOWAS Election Observation Mission (EOM) called upon the candidates to abide by the outcome of the recently concluded election.
Former Sierra Leonean President and head of the mission, Ernest Bai Koroma, urged the presidential candidates to respect the results of the election as announced by INEC.
Several presidential candidates have raised concerns about the February 25th presidential election through their supporters and political parties.
The election has four front-runners, namely Peter Obi of the Labour Party, Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, and Rabiu Kwakwanso of the New Nigeria People Party (NNPP).
Mr Koroma recommended that if the need arises, aggrieved parties should resort to legal means to resolve any electoral disputes.
In his preliminary report, he also called upon political parties to encourage their members and supporters to avoid using inflammatory language. Mr Koroma shared these views during a press conference held in Abuja.
Furthermore, he appealed to them to avoid any conduct that could provoke violence during the post-election period.
He referred to Nigeria as the leading country in the West African region and emphasized that the Nigerian elections hold great significance for the entire ECOWAS community.
In accordance with ECOWAS’ mandate for preventive diplomacy, the Mission intends to increase its engagement with the candidates, political parties, INEC, and other key political stakeholders in order to promote the peaceful and lawful resolution of any election-related disputes that may arise.
Nigeria conducted its seventh democratic national election since 1999 on February 25th.
Despite some cancellations due to violence, technical difficulties, and other factors, the results are still being compiled in various parts of the country.
Political parties and their supporters have accused each other of misconduct, including vote tampering, as the results continue to trickle in.
According to the election results dashboard from PREMIUM TIMES, the ruling All Progressives Congress has an early lead.
As of the time of this report, three states have declared their results at the National Collation Centre in Abuja.
The ECOWAS EOM dispatched 250 election observers to Nigeria to assist and monitor the entire electoral process.