The Citizens Advocacy for Social and Economic Rights (CASER), has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for peaceful and smooth conduct of the Edo governorship election.

The group said President Buhari did not allow abuse and misuse of security agents during the just concluded Edo election.

It also commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), for abiding by the guidelines it had earlier set for the Edo election.

The Executive Director of CASER, Mr Frank Tietie, gave the commendations in an interview with the News Agency (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday.

Tietie, who was reacting to the governorship poll in Edo said that INEC has by the adherence to the electoral guidelines it had set, further enhanced its own integrity.

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He said the election in Edo had truly rated INEC as a truly independent and impartial electoral umpire.

He said the process and outcome of the Edo governorship election, had just rekindled hope that Nigeria as a country could one day have a near perfect electoral system.

“The whole exercise in the Edo election, marks a turning point and a new page for Nigeria’s erstwhile electoral processes that have been characterised by malpractice and violence.”

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Gov. Godwin Obaseki of the PDP, winner of the Edo governorship election.

Obaseki had, in the keenly contested election pulled 307,955 votes to defeat his closet contender Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who pulled 223,619 votes. (NAN)