The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has addressed recent criticisms directed at its Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, urging detractors to engage more constructively.
In an exclusive interview with TheCable, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, emphasized the need for critics to familiarize themselves with the electoral laws and the commission’s processes before levying accusations.
The response comes in the wake of the first anniversary of the 2023 presidential election on February 25, a date that saw a surge in social media activity, with some Nigerians expressing their displeasure towards Yakubu.
The aggrieved parties accused him of manipulating the election results in favour of the incumbent President, Bola Tinubu.
Oyekanmi, however, defended the integrity of the 2023 elections, describing them as “a huge success and the most painstakingly planned” in the history of Nigeria’s electoral process.
He challenged the notion of electoral fraud and highlighted the commission’s commitment to transparency and fairness throughout the election cycle.
He said, “The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) believes that the 2023 general election was a huge success, despite some challenges that the commission had to grapple with.
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“It was the most painstakingly planned election and for the most part, our plans were successfully executed.
“Just last Friday, we released the official report of the election, which consisted of 526 pages, organised into 14 chapters and fortified with 60 tables, 14 boxes and 10 graphs. There is a lot to chew in the report.
“And for the first time ever in Nigeria’s electoral history, the 2023 elections unveiled unprecedented political diversity, with four political parties capturing gubernatorial seats, effectively breaking the duopoly that has long dominated the political scene.
“Besides, seven parties won senatorial seats, eight secured federal constituencies and nine were successful in state legislatures.
“While the report emphasises the significant impact of technological advancements on the integrity of the electoral process, especially the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), which reduced electoral fraud and bolstered the credibility of elections, the document also explained the challenges encountered with the INEC result viewing (IReV) portal during the presidential election.
“With the report now in the public domain, we expect stakeholders to interrogate it and offer useful advice on how we can further improve the electoral system.
“As for those persons who embarked on what they described as ‘a day of curses’, my advice is that they should pay adequate attention to substantive issues, make more productive use of their time, and cure themselves of their visible ignorance of the laws governing the electoral system and the commission’s processes and procedures.”
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