The European Union observers of the weekend's Presidential elections have declared the results "not credible". The vote was marked by ballot stuffing, violence, intimidation and failure to open the polls in some places.
This is the latest in a series of damning comments about this and the previous week's elections for Governors in the states. It looks sadly like the outgoing President's nominee will be declared the winner in a travesty of democracy. Violence is virtually guaranteed and more instability in the oil-rich south-eastern states will have an impact on the global market. Brent Sweet Crude (the standard from the North Sea fields) climbed above $67 a barrel on Monday.
The BBC has a summary of the opinions of the various groups observing the poll written before the latest EU statement.
Transition Monitoring Group
A local NGO with 50,000 Nigerian observers:
In many parts of the country elections did not start on time or did not start at all,"
"From all the reports we are getting from the field, these were not credible elections, so it tends to the direction that we will reject the results and ask for new elections to be held
Commonwealth Observer Group
17 members from Commonwealth countries.
"We got reports that in several places the delay was there. The polls were supposed to open at 10 o'clock but we got reports in certain places they opened at one, at three and some at five or later.
"What we have received is not widespread. Stuffing [of ballot boxes] was reported in one area, pre-marked papers in one area. So we cannot take that as general, but it is a shortcoming. I'm waiting until I have all the facts before I make an assessment."
International Republican Institute
US based with 17 observers.
"Nigeria's election process, which we recognise is still continuing and thus far incomplete, falls below the standards which Nigeria itself has set in previous elections and also falls below international standards, witnessed by IRI and members of this delegation throughout the world, "
Joint Action Union
A local confederation of 50 organizations is calling for a re-run of the election.
Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas)
Perhaps the most tolerant of the shortcomings still described it as "fairly acceptable" rather than "free and fair".
Update [2007-4-23 16:1:54 by londonbear]: The BBC now has the comments of the head of the EU observers on the above link:
The head of the European Union monitoring team, Max van den Berg, told the BBC it was one of the worst elections that the EU had observed.
"I can compare it of course with 2003, when I was the chief observer, and I had expected, really, after that was a very disappointing election, that we would see now something better. But we have not seen that, and the credibility is not there.
"The whole thing was not at all living up to the hopes of the Nigerian people, chaotic, and I would say it left them behind, demoralised."
"EU observers witnessed examples of ballot box stuffing, alteration of official result forms, stealing of sensitive polling materials, vote buying and underage voting," he said.
Nigeria has an unenviable reputation as one of the most corrupt nations. Internet scams often eminate from there, the most famous being the "I have a load of money I need to get processed at a bank, you will get a commission" emails. In South Africa, the increase in robberies in the years after majority rule is put down to "the Nigerians". Al-Jazeera suggests a level of corruption that would make Halliburton envious.
The Niger Delta accounts for all of the oil production in the world's eighth biggest oil producer which has an estimated income from oil of $20bn a year.
It is estimated that 70 per cent or $14bn of that is stolen or goes missing.