President Bola Tinubu has stated that he rejects the European Union’s Electoral Observer Mission’s report on the 2023 general elections. He criticizes the final report, claiming that it was poorly executed and heavily relied on the opinions of a few individuals.
According to a statement issued by Mr. Dele Alake, the President’s Special Adviser on Special Duties, Communications, and Strategy, titled “We reject European Union’s conclusions on 2023 general elections,” President Tinubu has several reasons to believe that the “biased report,” based on the perspectives of less than 50 observers, was simply a continuation of the EU’s preliminary report released in March, which prematurely condemned the election process.
The President highlights that reputable organizations like the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) have praised the conduct and outcome of the election. He expresses concern over a continental multilateral institution’s plan to discredit the election and emphasizes that it is unacceptable for any foreign organization to impose its own standards and judgments on Nigeria’s electoral credibility and transparency.
The statement emphasizes that there is no substantial evidence provided by the EU or any other foreign entity to undermine the integrity of the 2023 election results. It questions the EU’s methodology, pointing out that their limited number of observers could not have independently monitored over 176,000 polling units across Nigeria.
The President’s statement rejects the EU’s report, stating that it is based on a poorly conducted desk job that relied heavily on a few isolated incidents in less than 1,000 polling units out of over 176,000. It dismisses the EU’s conclusions as biased and argues that the 2023 elections, particularly the presidential election won by President Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC), were credible, peaceful, and the best organized since Nigeria’s return to civilian rule in 1999.
The statement highlights that the African Union, ECOWAS, Commonwealth Observer Mission, and the Nigerian Bar Association provided more comprehensive and accurate assessments of the elections. It also praises INEC for defending the integrity of the election and committing to further reforms to enhance the electoral process.
The statement concludes by urging the EU and other foreign interests to be objective in their assessments of Nigeria’s internal affairs and allow the country to move forward, as President Tinubu focuses on nation-building and addressing economic and social reforms.
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