In Nigeria, Africa’s most populous and largest economy, 18 candidates ran for president in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) of Abuja.
The ruling party’s Bola Tinubu was declared the winner of the 2023 Nigerian elections on March 1.
Interestingly, by the time Tinubu was named president-elect, the PDP, Labour Party, and a number of other opposition parties had already rejected the results.
“Lack of transparency and operational failures reduced trust in the process and challenged the right to vote,” a European Union Election Observation Mission stated on Monday.
After polling was marred by concerns about transparency and numerous technical issues, Bola Tinubu was declared the winner.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) concluded that the 70-year-old former governor of Lagos State received 8,794,726 votes, or 36% of the votes counted in Nigeria’s most closely contested election since its return to civilian rule in 1999.
Atiku Abubakar, the candidate for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), received 29% of the vote, and Peter Obi, the candidate for the Labour Party, who presented the first serious challenge to the two dominant parties and won unexpectedly in Tinubu’s home state of Lagos, received approximately 25%.
Tinubu now takes over from President Muhammadu Buhari, who is stepping down because he has reached the limit of two terms. The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has won a third term.
The polls were held against a backdrop of worsening security conditions and severe economic hardship for approximately 90 million eligible voters.
The New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) candidate Rabiu Kwankwaso claimed one state, while the APC, PDP, and Labour Party each won 12 states.
The PDP, Labour Party, and African Democratic Congress (ADC) held a joint press conference on Tuesday to demand that INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu resign and that “sham” presidential and National Assembly elections be held again.
Julius Abure, the national chairman of the Labour Party, said that INEC didn’t follow the rules in the Electoral Act 2022, which was put in place by the Buhari administration to build trust in the country’s election system and guarantee free and fair elections.
Abure stated,
“We have a responsibility to the millions of Nigerians who have placed their faith in us and our presidential candidates to defend our country from the forces that seek to tear it apart.”
“President Buhari, this is a time when your integrity will be greatly tested; use your office to save Nigeria from this electoral mismanagement and preserve your legacy,”
However, on Wednesday morning, Buhari congratulated Tinubu and said that he was the best person for the job. He also said that the election was legitimate and that opposition parties who wanted to challenge the result should “take it to the courts, not to the streets.”
During his two terms as governor of Lagos, Nigeria’s economic hub, Tinubu is credited with boosting economic activity and increasing the state’s revenue.
However, he broke an unwritten rule in Nigerian politics that divides power between Christians and Muslims by choosing a fellow Muslim to be his running mate during the campaign.
“lack of transparency and operational failures that reduced trust in the process and challenged the right to vote,” the European Union Election Observation Mission claims.
Although the election was mostly peaceful, it was held against a backdrop of insecurity, widespread shortages of fuel and the country’s naira currency, as well as attacks on INEC premises and voter intimidation, according to the EU EOM report.
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Again, as per the EU EOM report, “abuse of incumbency by various political office holders distorted the playing field” and “there were widespread allegations of vote buying.”
The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the result viewing portal (IReV) were included in the Electoral Act, which was well-received. These technologies were regarded as significant steps in bolstering the credibility and integrity of subsequent elections.
However, the EOM stated that voters’ expectations were lowered as a result of inadequate mock testing and delayed training, as well as a lack of public information regarding the technologies.
By noon the day after the polls closed, only 20% of presidential election votes had been recorded, and INEC acknowledged that “technical hitches” had delayed the upload of results to the IReV.
“Notwithstanding the shortcomings identified in these elections, Nigerians were largely accorded the right to vote,” a Commonwealth Observer Group led by former South African President Thabo Mbeki concluded in a more favorable preliminary assessment on Monday.
Mbeki told journalists on Monday, “We congratulate all Nigerians for their determination, patience, and resilience displayed throughout the electoral process.”
However, the COG also pointed to a number of logistical issues that led to voter disenfranchisement, long lines, technological issues, “not always positive” behavior from party agents, and irregularities in closing and counting ballots.
The final reports from both observation missions will be available in the coming days.
In the mean time, the approaching government will be confronted with settling a new messed up naira note progress, security issues affecting oil production, a weakening fiscal position and increasing balance of payments stress.
