Nigeria's electoral body says probing allegations of electoral malpractice

Nigeria's electoral commission has begun investigation into complaints of malpractices regarding Saturday's elections, a top official said on Sunday.

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Atahiru Jega told reporters in Abuja, that the commission has received several complaints of irregularities, including allegations that certain electoral officers disappeared with result sheets in some polling units.

"We have also received a letter from the APC calling for cancellation of the elections in Rivers on account of alleged rigging," he added, noting that all these complaints were currently under investigation.

Jega said the allegations would be thoroughly investigated.

The INEC chairman also said he was aware of the video clip of an underage male voter in Taraba which was circulating on the Internet.

Jega said he had directed the state's Resident Electoral Commissioner to investigate the clip, identify the polling unit where it happened, and trace the official that accredited the underage voter.

Jega confirmed the death of two INEC ad hoc staff during a suspected Boko Haram attack on voters in Gombe State and also condoled with the families of the victims.

However, he said the elections were generally successful, despite cases of violence and technical challenges in some areas.

The chairman said the commission was working hard to beat its 2011 record of releasing the election results within 48 hours.

Measures were being taken to correct the lapses observed in the presidential and National Assembly elections to ensure that they did not reoccur during the April 11 polls, he added. Endite