“Allow Nigeria To Breathe. The Election Was Clearly And Fairly Won By Tinubu” – FG Tells European Union

The Federal Government (FG) has rejected the European Union’s report on the 2023 general elections, describing the conclusions of the EU Electoral Observer Mission as “jaundiced”.

“We urge the EU and other foreign interests to be objective in all their assessments of the internal affairs of our country and allow Nigeria to breathe,” Dele Alake, the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Special Duties, Communications and Strategy said in a statement on Sunday.

Alake insisted that the February 25, 2023 presidential election was “clearly and fairly” won by Tinubu, the then candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC).

He also said the EU should allow Nigeria breathe and not meddle in the affairs of the country.

“We find it preposterous and unconscionable that in this day and age, any foreign organisation of whatever hue can continue to insist on its own yardstick and assessment as the only way to determine the credibility and transparency of our elections,” he said.

On June 27, 2023, the EU presented its report on the 2023 elections in Nigeria to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The EU said the election exposed enduring systemic weaknesses and therefore signalled a need for further legal and operational reforms to enhance transparency, inclusiveness and accountability. The EU also identified six areas of improvement in Nigeria’s electoral process moving forward.

However, Alake said the government was not unaware of the “machinations of the European Union to sustain its, largely, unfounded bias and claims on the election outcomes”. Alake further stated that there is no substantial evidence provided by the EU or any foreign and local organisation that is viable enough to impeach the integrity of the 2023 election outcomes.