Staff Writer
According to European Union observers, Nigeria’s elections this year were hampered by issues that reduced popular confidence in democracy.
The two runners-up are contesting President Bola Tinubu’s victory in the Feb. 25 election in court. On the same day, voters elected federal lawmakers; three weeks later, they elected state governors and legislators.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, or INEC, “did not ensure a well-run, transparent and inclusive democratic process,” according to the final report of an EU observation mission, which was received by email on Tuesday. “During the presidential election, public confidence and trust in INEC were severely harmed and were not recovered in state level elections.”
Requests for reaction from Tinubu and the INEC spokespeople went unanswered.
Inadequacies in the study were highlighted as extensive vote-buying by candidates, targeted political violence, and a failure to instantly submit polling unit-specific result sheets to an online portal.
On May 29, Tinubu succeeded Muhammadu Buhari. Although it failed to win the most seats in the House of Representatives, the ruling All Progressives Congress maintained majority among state governors and in the Senate.
The greatest economy in Africa held the most credible elections since democracy was restored in 1999, according to the president’s backers. Previous attempts to overturn presidential results through petitions have failed.
