Various reactions have trailed the Presidential and National Assembly polls of 23rd February 2019, as reflected in statements issued by foreign observer groups. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Observer mission, led by former Liberian President, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf noted delays in the opening of polls, malfunction of Smart Card readers and resort to manual accreditation in some places during the Presidential election. It also highlighted the outbreak of violence, resulting in loss of lives and election materials but concluded that the process was largely peaceful and transparent. Furthermore, the statement of the Commonwealth observers, led by former Tanzanian President, Jakaya Kikwete described election related violence and loss of life as deeply troubling and called for those responsible to be held accountable, while encouraging political parties to honour their commitments to the National Peace Accord, among other observations. Also, the European Union Election Observation Mission commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the conduct of the elections, highlighting improvements in the electoral process, particularly, the continuous accreditation and voting procedure. The mission’s Chief Observer, Maria Arena however noted that the delayed commencement of polls and late arrival of materials may have discouraged some individuals from voting. The African Union observation team described the overall political climate as largely peaceful, despite the reports of violence, death and intimidation. It also noted the low level of female candidature in the elections.
The National Democratic Institute and International Republican Institute (NDI/IRI) joint observer mission noted among other things, that the last-minute postponement of the Presidential and National Assembly elections contributed to voter apathy and a decline in the level of confidence in INEC. NDI President, Derek Mitchell enjoined the Federal Government to beef up security to protect the election materials deployment process, and support voter engagement as the Governorship elections approach. In addition, he called for security agencies to maintain the highest level of professionalism and work with INEC to investigate electoral offences and sanction offenders. The Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Nigeria (EISA) led by former Zambian President, Rupiah Bandah urged INEC to conduct refresher training for all election staff and provide training manuals in all polling units for easy reference. In addition, it called on security agents to provide maximum security for the deployment of election materials and investigate incidents of violence reported on election day.