Three states in Nigeria elected new governors this month in questionable elections that hint at democratic backsliding in Africa’s most populous country.
The 11 November out-of-cycle elections in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi were the first since the controversial poll in February and March this year that saw Bola Tinubu win the presidency. Political analysts say the exercise demonstrated a reversal of recent improvements in the electoral process under the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
In the oil-rich Niger Delta state of Bayelsa, the election was headlined by the abduction of an election official. Meanwhile the exercises in Imo and Kogi, in the south-east and north-central parts of the country, were riddled with alleged electoral malpractice.
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