While making broad remarks about the 2023 General Election, the INEC Chairman, maintained that in order to learn the full lessons from the 2023 General Election, it is important to view the entire process before, during and after the election to make an informed assessment.
He argued that compared to some previous elections, the Commission believes that the 2023 General Election was one of the most meticulously prepared for in recent times.
According to him, “Learning from previous experiences, we started preparations immediately after the 2019 General Election, carefully ticking the necessary boxes over a four-year period. It is the need to learn from both the positives and the shortcomings that makes the stocktaking that we are embarking on today essential”.
Prof. Yakubu highlighted some of the positive takeaways from the recent General Election. He said “Among the positive stories is that the security challenge which threatened to derail the elections did not materialise. Concerns that the polls will be disrupted by the perennial insecurity across the country fizzled out on Election Day as the elections were largely peaceful”.
The Chairman noted that, “Despite currency and fuel challenges and widespread attacks on our personnel and facilities nationwide, the Commission proceeded with the election as scheduled. The first set of elections, the Presidential and National Assembly, held as planned for the first time in the last four General Elections conducted in the country. Accreditation of voters using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) has generally been scored very high by voters”.
According to him, “Our records show that the success rate for BVAS accreditation stands at 98% compared to the Smart Card Reader’s 29.2% during the 2019 General Election”.
The INEC Chairman further argued that despite the divergent opinions about the outcome of the election, the overall outlook suggests that it is a fair reflection of a complex multi-party democracy. He said “we wish to remind Nigerians that elections were held for a total of 1,491 constituencies made up of one Presidential, 28 Governorship, 109 Senatorial, 360 Federal Constituencies and 993 State Assembly seats. Our record shows that these elections have produced the most diverse outcomes ever recorded since 1999”.
He said: “Today, five political parties produced State Governors, seven parties won Senatorial seats, eight are represented in the House of Representatives and nine in State Houses of Assembly. Clearly, the 10th National Assembly is certainly the most diverse in party representation since 1999. In some States around the country, different political parties controlled the legislative and executive arms of Government”, he added.
“What is clear from these records also is that the days of single party dominance of our national politics are probably gone. Furthermore, many prominent candidates lost in the constituencies they contested, and political parties lost in some of their presumed strongholds”, the INEC Chairman said.
On challenges of the General Election, Prof. Yakubu acknowledged that there were some challenges which according to him were “structural, infrastructural and human in nature”.
“Indeed, it is in furtherance of our determination to address the challenges as we prepare for future elections that the Commission is commencing its post-election review engagements today,” he added.
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