The federal government has dismissed the European Union’s evaluation of the 2023 general elections, labelling the conclusions of the EU Electoral Observer Mission as biased.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Dele Alake, the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Special Duties, Communications, and Strategy, urged the EU and other foreign entities to maintain objectivity in their assessments of Nigeria’s internal affairs and allow the country to determine its own path.
Alake maintained that “the presidential election held on February 25, 2023, was won fairly and convincingly by Tinubu, who represented the All Progressives Congress (APC).”
He also criticized the EU for interfering in Nigeria’s affairs and emphasized the need to respect the country’s sovereignty.
“It is absurd and unjustifiable that any foreign organization, regardless of its nature, can insist on imposing its own standards and judgments as the sole criteria for determining the credibility and transparency of our elections,” Alake stated.
Tinubu’s opponents, namely Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP), are currently pursuing legal action to challenge the electoral commission’s declaration of Tinubu as the winner.
On June 27, 2023, the EU submitted its report on the 2023 Nigerian elections to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The EU report highlighted persistent systemic weaknesses and emphasized the need for further legal and operational reforms to enhance transparency, inclusivity, and accountability in Nigeria’s electoral process.
The EU also outlined six areas that require improvement moving forward.
However, Alake claimed that the Nigerian government was well aware of the EU’s efforts to sustain its unfounded biases and claims regarding the election outcomes.
He argued that neither the EU nor any foreign or local organization provided substantial evidence capable of undermining the integrity of the 2023 election results.
“We would like the EU to clarify how it arrived at the conclusions in its final report, given the limited coverage of the elections by their observers, who undoubtedly relied more on rumors, hearsay, biased social media comments, and opposition narratives,” he added.
“We firmly reject any suggestion from any organization, group, or individual that remotely implies the 2023 election was fraudulent.”
Alake emphasized that Nigeria has moved on from the elections, and President Tinubu is now focused on the demanding task of nation-building. He noted that those dissatisfied with the electoral process have the right to challenge it through legal means.
