…By Larry John for TDPel Media.
The Nigerian government has dismissed the report on the 2023 general elections presented by the European Union (EU) election observation mission.
The report, presented by chief observer Barry Andrews, focused on analyzing compliance with Nigeria’s regional and international commitments for democratic elections.
Andrews criticized the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for operational challenges and glitches with the bimodal voter accreditation system (BVAS) and the result viewing portal, stating that these discrepancies severely undermined public confidence in the electoral body.
Federal Government Dismisses EU Mission Report as Poorly-Done Desk Job
In response, the federal government, through Dele Alake, the special adviser to the president on special duties, communications, and strategy, issued a statement describing the EU mission’s report as a poorly-executed desk job.
The government argued that the EU mission had limited coverage of the elections and based its findings on rumors, social media commentaries, and statements from opposition parties.
Claims of Credible and Organized General Elections
The government reiterated that the 2023 general elections, particularly the presidential election won by Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), were credible, peaceful, free, fair, and the best-organized since 1999.
They emphasized that there was no substantial evidence presented by the EU or any foreign or local organization that could undermine the integrity of the election outcomes.
Questions Over EU’s Observers and Methodology
The government questioned how the EU mission reached its conclusions, considering their limited coverage of the elections.
They pointed out that the mission deployed only 11 analysts based in Abuja and 40 election observers across 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, which amounted to an average of only one person per state.
The government expressed doubts about the EU’s independent monitoring of over 176,000 polling units throughout Nigeria.
Allegations of a Biased and Flawed Report
The government strongly criticized the EU’s final report, suggesting that it was a product of a poorly executed desk job that relied heavily on isolated instances of skirmishes in less than 1,000 polling units out of the total number.
They believed that the report, which was based on the views of fewer than 50 observers, aimed to sustain the premature denunciation expressed in the EU’s preliminary report released in March.