Nigeria’s Presidency, on Monday, rated the February 25 presidential election, which produced the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, as president-elect, as the best the country had seen in recent times despite all the controversies that have trailed the exercise.

Many foreign and local observers have reported that the conduct of the election failed to meet the expectations of Nigeria and that INEC failed to follow the Electoral Act and even its own guidelines in the conduct of the poll.

However, Presidential spokesperson, Mallam Garba Shehu, in a release, declared that the APC victory in the presidential election, underscored by the nationwide wave of support in the National Assembly results, was a clear mandate for the party to retain power for another term of four years.

“This election is an improvement on past elections and due credit should be given to the government and people of this country,” Shehu stated.

The Presidency thanked former ambassadors Mark Green and Johnnie Carson, along with other foreign observers, for their concerns over the logistics of the general election in Nigeria and their work as observers on the National Democratic Institute/International Republican Institute Election Observation Missions.

The statement said, “It is worth setting their comments in context. No one has disputed the result of the election, except the candidates that fell short. The biggest and the most competitive presidential election in the history of Nigeria has been won by one man: Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“The US State Department congratulated President-elect Bola Tinubu of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) and the people of Nigeria on the outcome of the ‘competitive election’.

“British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, was also quick to congratulate the winner, on this victory. And so did many others in ECOWAS and the African Union.

“Though it is true there were some delays and technical faults in the process that we can learn from – as is the case in any election the world over – the vote progressed and consolidated democracy in Nigeria. The integrity of the Electoral Act of 2022 was strengthened. 

“The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System cut out ghost, unauthorised or multiple votes to stem fraud. The election may not have been pluperfect, but due to the steps the government has taken, it is an improvement on previous polls. That achievement should not be overlooked. The next step is for the election commission to ensure transparency in collation.

“Adverse reactions as received from some quarters are themselves a part of the learning process for everyone. Elsewhere, the world had been treated to epic lies, obfuscation, jingoism and hate, and told by global media to expect a different outcome. Nigerians shocked the world by refusing religious hatred and sectarian politics. All true friends of Nigeria should join the people in proceeding forward for sustainable peace.”

Many foreign and local observers have reported that the conduct of the election failed to meet the expectations of Nigeria and that INEC failed to follow the Electoral Act and even its own guidelines in the conduct of the poll.

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

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