The federal government has rejected the final report of the
European Union (EU) election observation mission in Nigeria on the 2023 polls.
On Tuesday, the EU mission presented its report on the
general election in Abuja.
Barry Andrews, the chief observer, said the report was based
on the analysis of compliance with Nigeria’s regional and international
commitments for democratic elections.
Andrews faulted INEC for the operational challenges and glitches experienced with the bimodal voter accreditation system (BVAS) and the result viewing portal, saying the discrepancies severely damaged public confidence in the electoral body.
But in a statement on Sunday by Dele Alake, special adviser
to the president on special duties, communications and strategy, the federal
government described the EU mission report as a poorly-done desk job.
The federal government said the EU mission had a limited
coverage of the elections, adding that the organisation based its findings on
rumours, social media commentaries and statements made by the opposition
parties.
“Sometimes in May, we alerted the nation, through a press
statement, to the plan by a continental multi-lateral institution to discredit
the 2023 general elections conducted by the Independent National Electoral
Commission. The main target was the presidential election, clearly and fairly
won by the then candidate of All Progressives Congress, Bola Ahmed Tinubu,”
Alake said.
“For emphasis, we
want to reiterate that the 2023 general elections, most especially the
presidential election, won by President Bola Tinubu/All Progressives Congress,
were credible, peaceful, free, fair and the best organised general elections in
Nigeria since 1999.
“There is no substantial evidence provided by the European
Union or any foreign and local organisation that is viable enough to impeach
the integrity of the 2023 election outcomes.
“EU-EOM observed the elections through 11 Abuja-based
analysts, and 40 election observers spread across 36 states and the Federal
Capital Territory. With the level of personnel deployed, which was barely an
average of one person per state, we wonder how EU-EOM independently monitored
election in over 176,000 polling units across Nigeria.
“We would like to know and even ask EU, how it reached the
conclusions in the submitted final report with the very limited coverage of the
elections by their observers who, without doubt, relied more on rumours,
hearsay, cocktails of prejudiced and uninformed social media commentaries and
opposition talking heads.
“We are convinced
that what EU-EOM called final report on our recent elections is a product of a
poorly done desk job that relied heavily on few instances of skirmishes in less
than 1000 polling units out of over 176,000 where Nigerians voted on election
day. We have many reasons to believe the jaundiced report, based on the views
of fewer than 50 observers, was to merely sustain the same premature
denunciatory stance contained in EU’s preliminary report released in March.”
ALAKE: NIGERIANS SATISFIED
WITH TINUBU’S LEADERSHIP
Alake further noted that the EU mission report on the
elections cannot stand, saying the country has moved on and the citizens appear
“satisfied” with the leadership of President Bola Tinubu.
“We strongly reject, in its entirety, any notion and idea
from any organisation, group and individual remotely suggesting that the 2023
election was fraudulent,” Alake said.
“Our earlier position
that the technology-aided 2023 general elections were the most transparent and
best organised elections since the return of civil rule in Nigeria has been
validated by all non-partisan foreign and local observers such as the African Union,
ECOWAS, Commonwealth Observer Mission and the Nigerian Bar Association.
“Unlike EU-EOM that deployed fewer than 50 observers, the
Nigerian Bar Association that sent out over 1,000 observers spread across the
entire country for same election gave a more holistic and accurate assessment
of the elections in their own report.
“As a country, we
have put the elections behind us. President Tinubu is facing the arduous task
of nation-building, while those who have reasons to challenge the process
continue to do so through the courts. In
just one month in office, Nigerians appear satisfied with the decisive
leadership of President Tinubu and the manner he is redirecting the country to
the path of fiscal sustainability and socio-economic reforms.
“We urge the EU and other foreign interests to be objective
in all their assessments of the internal affairs of our country and allow
Nigeria to breathe.”
On Wednesday, INEC had also disagreed with the findings of
the EU mission report, saying it is unfair to judge the commission and the
entirety of the polls off a few glitches.
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