BY Dyepkazah Shibayan
Phrank Shaibu, an aide to former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar on communication, has berated the federal government for dismissing a report by the European Union (EU) election observation mission on the just-concluded general election.
On Tuesday, Barry Andrews, the EU chief observer, faulted the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the operational challenges and glitches experienced with the bimodal voter accreditation system (BVAS) and the result viewing portal.
Andrews said the discrepancies in the elections severely damaged public confidence in the electoral body.
But in a statement on Sunday, the federal government dismissed the report, describing it as “a poorly-done desk job”.
Reacting to the federal government’s statement, Shaibu said the electoral commission “failed woefully” in carrying out its duties during the election.
“The presidential election was held on February 25, 2023, and yet as of July 2, 2023, the result of the election has not been fully uploaded. This is despite the fact that this election was the most expensive in the history of West Africa,” he said.
“How can an election in which the full results have not been fully uploaded after nearly five months be described as credible by any sane human being?”
Shaibu said it is hypocritical for the federal government to receive support from the EU for the elections and discard its findings because it is not favourable.
“The EU said in September last year that it budgeted €39 million for Nigeria’s 2023 election. Most of the funding went to INEC as election support,” he said.
“The EU not only provided training for INEC staff but also donated equipment only for INEC to conduct a shambolic poll.
“So, why would Alake claim that the EU has no right to speak when it was the largest single donor to INEC? Alake should rather be quiet rather than try to defend the indefensible.”
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