A coalition of civil society organisations under the Network of Civil Society Organizations in Nigeria has commended the conduct of the June 20, 2026, Enugu North Senatorial District bye-election, describing the exercise as peaceful and transparent while raising concerns over glitches recorded with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and delays in election logistics.
The position was contained in a communiqué presented by the Network’s spokesperson, Abubakar Musa, following the conclusion of the poll held to fill the vacant senatorial seat created by the death of former lawmaker, Senator Okey Ezea.
Speaking on behalf of the coalition, Musa said the bye-election represented “a vital step towards transparent election” and reaffirmed the commitment of accredited civil society organisations to promoting credible democratic processes.
“It is a great honor and pleasure to present to you this communiqué this afternoon on the outcome of the conduct of the Enugu North Senatorial Bye-Election that was held on 20th of June, 2026,” he said.
According to him, the observer groups participated in various stages of the electoral process, including the distribution of sensitive and non-sensitive materials and the deployment of electoral officers, noting that the election was conducted as scheduled.
The coalition disclosed that seven political parties—APC, ADC, BP, LP, PDP, NDC and PRP—participated in the exercise across the six local government areas of the senatorial district, covering 112 electoral wards with 727,340 registered voters and 184,094 accredited voters.
Musa stated that “the election was conducted in accordance with INEC guidelines and all relevant laws,” adding that election materials were adequately distributed across polling units.
Despite the overall positive assessment, the observers noted that some polling units experienced delays due to the late arrival of election materials and personnel.
The coalition also identified technical issues with the BVAS machines in some locations, saying, “There was in some few areas report of malfunction of BVAS Machine in some polling units which cause the delay of accreditation and voting in such polling units.”
It, however, praised the security agencies for maintaining order throughout the exercise and noted that vote counting and collation were conducted in the presence of party agents and security personnel.
“None of our observer reported any shortage of voting materials in the polling units visited,” the communiqué added.
The civil society groups recommended that the Independent National Electoral Commission improve the performance of BVAS machines ahead of future elections to prevent avoidable delays.
“We recommend to Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for proper enhancement of the BVAS Machine before the General Election,” Musa said.
The coalition also urged security agencies to ensure more strategic deployment of personnel, observing that there was greater concentration of officers in urban centres than in remote communities.
It further called on the electoral commission to strengthen its logistics framework to guarantee the timely commencement of voting in all polling units.
While applauding INEC for conducting what it described as a peaceful and transparent election, the Network also commended security agencies for their professionalism and the Enugu State Government for providing a conducive environment for the exercise.
“We also commend the Government of Enugu State for providing a peaceful and conducive environment during the election,” the communiqué stated.
The coalition concluded by appealing to all candidates and their supporters to accept the outcome of the bye-election, insisting that it reflected the will of the people.
“Finally, we appeal to all the candidates and their supporters to accept the outcome of the election as it reflect the will of the people,” Musa said.
