The Chatham House, United Kingdom, UK has criticised the just concluded presidential election conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The Informant247 recalls that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Senator Bola Tinubu as the winner of the presidential election.
According to INEC, Tinubu came victorious with 8.8 million votes.
The presidential candidate of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar came second with 6.9 million votes.
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Peter Obi, had 6.1 million votes.
Atiku and Obi who were not comfortable with the outcome of the February 25 presidential election have filed petitions at the election tribunal to challenge the emergence of Tinubu as the Nigerian leader.
Before the February 25, 2023 elections, the Chatham House, organized debates for leading presidential candidates.
The institute revealed that the INEC has not learnt new lessons.
This was revealed by the Associate Fellow, Africa Programme, Dr. Leena Koni Hoffmann.
The electoral commission did not comply with its procedures, which it established before election.
Hoffman wrote, “The INEC’s performance and controversies over these results mean that the electoral reforms and lessons declared to have been learned were not fully applied and, as an electoral body, it was significantly less prepared than it claimed.
“The logistical failures of INEC and widespread delayed opening of polling units meant that voters who showed up at the polls early were frustrated, and many voters and INEC staff were not able to locate their polling units for several hours.”
The institute also stated that: “Less than half of eligible voters could participate in the elections, despite the commission’s N305 billion budgetary allocation. While Nigeria’s youth seemed energised leading up to the elections, it seems their ability to turn out is still being hugely constrained by how difficult and potentially dangerous it is to cast a vote in Nigeria.
“The INEC’s performance and controversies over these results mean that the electoral reforms and lessons declared to have been learned were not fully applied
“At just 25.7 percent, the elections have the lowest recorded turnout of any election since Nigeria returned to democracy in 1999, despite being the most expensive. These dwindling numbers highlight how Nigeria’s politics and state institutions continue to exclude rather than include.”