The Federal Government has rejected the European Union’s assessment on the 2023 general elections, calling the EU Electoral Observer Mission’s findings “jaundiced.”
“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,” Dele Alake, the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Special Duties, Communications and Strategy said in a statement on Sunday.
Alake insisted that the February 25, 2023 presidential election was “clearly and fairly” won by Tinubu, the then candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC).
He also said the EU should allow Nigeria breathe and not meddle in the affairs of the country.
“We find it preposterous and unconscionable that in this day and age, any foreign organisation of whatever hue can continue to insist on its own yardstick and assessment as the only way to determine the credibility and transparency of our elections,” he said.
Tinubu’s rivals — Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) are presently in court to challenge the electoral umpire’s declaration of the former Lagos State governor as winner of the poll.
On June 27, 2023, the EU presented its report on the 2023 elections in Nigeria to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The EU said the election exposed enduring systemic weaknesses and therefore signalled a need for further legal and operational reforms to enhance transparency, inclusiveness and accountability.
The EU also identified six areas for improvement in Nigeria’s electoral process moving forward , which are:
- Ambiguities in the law, the establishment of a publicly accountable process for the selection of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) members, ensuring real-time publication of results as well as access to election results.
- It also highlighted the need for protection for media practitioners
- Decrying the discrimination against women in elective and appointed positions as well as impunity regarding electoral offences.
- The election exposed enduring systemic weaknesses and therefore signalled a need for further legal and operational reforms to enhance transparency, inclusiveness and accountability.
- There was a need for political will to achieve improved democratic practices in Nigeria
- Call for inclusive dialogue between all stakeholders on electoral reform.
However, Alake said the government was not unaware of the “machinations of the European Union to sustain its, largely, unfounded bias and claims on the election outcomes”.
Alake further stated that there is no substantial evidence provided by the EU or any foreign and local organisation that is viable enough to impeach the integrity of the 2023 election outcomes.
“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,” he stated.
“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.
“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 Nigeria has put the elections behind and Tinubu is facing the task of nation-building.
“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.”