The pattern of political violence and the failure of the authorities to investigate these incidents and bring the perpetrators to justice has created a climate of impunity which can only encourage further election violence in Amnesty International’s view.
Nigerian electoral and government officials have not acknowledged the failure of voting in many areas, insisting that the polls were conducted in an entirely satisfactory manner. In Rivers, INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner publicly declared, with total disregard for the facts on the ground, that in “almost all” parts of the state, voting took place smoothly from early morning until the close of polls.
