President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), along with his main rivals Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Mr. Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP), contested the outcome of the 2023 presidential election all the way to the Supreme Court.
Despite technical issues with electronic result transmission, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) hailed the 2023 polls as among Nigeria’s best elections. However, critics, including Chief Chekwas Okorie of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Peter Ameh of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), Mr. Obiora Ifoh of the LP, and Phrank Shuaibu, media aide to Atiku Abubakar, highlighted flaws in the election process that they urged should be addressed in future elections.
Reflecting on the presidential poll a year later, Okorie described it as a mix of drama and absurdities. He criticized INEC for failing to live up to its promises of utilizing technology for voter accreditation and result transmission, leading to widespread disappointment among Nigerians and scathing remarks from local and international election monitors.
Elections
The 2023 election witnessed unprecedented litigation, with the Supreme Court ultimately ruling in favor of President Tinubu, underscoring the intensity of the legal battles that ensued. Okorie emphasized the glaring deficiencies in Nigeria’s electoral laws, which were exploited by corrupt INEC officials to manipulate the election results, leading to widespread concern and tarnishing the country’s reputation.
Source: guardian.ng
