A coalition of civil society organisations under the Network of Civil Society Organizations in Nigeria has commended the conduct of the Enugu North Senatorial District by-election, describing the exercise as peaceful, transparent, and largely in line with electoral guidelines.
Addressing journalists in Enugu, the coalition’s spokesperson, Abubakar Musa, said observers deployed across the district monitored various stages of the electoral process and found the election to be credible despite some operational challenges.
The observers noted that while voting and collation were conducted peacefully in the presence of party agents and security personnel, some polling units experienced delays due to technical glitches with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the late arrival of election materials and officials.
The coalition, however, praised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the overall conduct of the election and commended security agencies for maintaining law and order throughout the exercise.
It also acknowledged the role of the Enugu State Government in providing a conducive environment for the by-election.
The groups recommended that INEC improve the performance of BVAS devices and strengthen its logistics framework ahead of the 2027 general elections to ensure timely commencement of voting across all polling units.
They further called for more balanced deployment of security personnel, particularly in rural communities, while urging candidates and their supporters to accept the outcome of the election in the interest of democracy and peace.
The by-election was won by APC candidate, Chief Ikeje Asogwa, who secured victory over candidates of other political parties in the contest.
