The Nigerian Presidency has criticized the European Union (EU) Election Observation Mission (EOM) for its report on the 2023 general elections in Nigeria. The Presidency accused the EU EOM of attempting to ridicule the Nigerian electoral system and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). It claimed that the process and factors that led to the report were flawed and that the EU EOM’s parameters exposed its inadequacies in conducting credible monitoring.
The Presidency argued that the report was predetermined and biased, citing the limited coverage and deployment of observers by the EU EOM. It rejected the report’s findings, stating that it failed to reflect the true picture of the elections, particularly the presidential election, as it was based on incidents from a small fraction of polling units. The Presidency asserted that the 2023 general elections were the freest and most credible since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999.
It emphasized that there was no substantial evidence to impeach the integrity of the election outcomes and highlighted the positive assessments of other credible observers, including the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA). The Presidency commended President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) for their leadership and urged foreign interests, including the EU, to be objective in their assessments and allow Nigeria to progress.
