FIDA Nigeria said its observers witnessed some incidents of patriarchal, physical and other forms of violence perpetrated against women at some of the polling units "in focal states and across the country."
Ahead of Saturday's elections, the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) Nigeria has lamented the spate of attacks unleashed on women during the 25 February general elections.
Addressing journalists via Zoom on Monday, FIDA's national president, Amina Agbaje, said its observers in collaboration with their partners witnessed cases of violence against women during the elections.
Nigeria had its presidential and National Assembly elections on 25 February.
FIDA Nigeria said its observers witnessed some incidents of patriarchal, physical and other forms of violence perpetrated against women at some of the polling units "in focal states and across the country."
Ms Agbaje highlighted cases of violence perpetrated against women in Borno, Kaduna, Edo and Lagos States.
"At Polling Unit 18, Ward 8, Marte LGA, Borno State, there were incidences of physical violence of which women became victims which discouraged and limited their participation at that unit."
"In Edo state, a lady was shot dead by assailants who shot sporadically at her polling unit while votes were still (being) counted. This incident had disrupted the voting process."
In another incident, Mr Agbaje lamented that "a woman was attacked and stabbed by party thugs" at the Surulere area of Lagos, South-west Nigeria.
Asks INEC to extend voting time
FIDA appealed to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to extend the timeframe for voting to 5 p.m.
INEC had set the timeframe for voting during the 25 February presidential and National Assembly elections between 8:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.
But Mrs Agbaje said "issues relating to the timeframe for conducting elections needed to be extended from 8:30 a.m. till about 5 p.m to encourage more women participation."
Presenting FIDA's assessment of INEC's conduct of the polls on Monday, Mrs Agbaje said the elections were characterised by "a lot of shortcomings...ranging from the late arrival of electoral materials at several polling units across the country."
She said FIDA Nigeria, through her situation room in Abuja, observed the participation of women in the elections in four focal states - Borno, Plateau, Kaduna and Kwara.
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PREMIUM TIMES reported that thugs disrupted voting in several polling units across Nigeria, a development INEC's chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, acknowledged at a press briefing in Abuja.
As the electoral umpire gears up for the conduct of the governorship and state parliamentary elections on 11 March, FIDA said an extension of the voting timeframe would enable more female voters to exercise their franchise.
INEC on 1 March declared Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), winner of the 25 February presidential election.
Mr Tinubu scored 8.8 million votes to beat the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party's (LP) Peter Obi who came third in the poll.
Both Atiku and Mr Obi said the elections were marred by irregularities, calling on INEC to halt the collation of results in the presidential election.
FIDA urged security agencies to arrest and prosecute electoral offenders, especially persons who perpetrate violence during polling.
It called on INEC to collaborate with traditional rulers and religious leaders "to encourage the participation of more female electorate...to exercise their franchise at subsequent elections."
The association advised the electoral umpire to clean up the voter register.
