An aide to former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar on Communication, Phrank Shaibu, has berated the presidency for dismissing a report by the European Union (EU) election observation mission on the just-concluded general election.
The EU’s chief observer, Barry Andrews, had last week Tuesday 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, as reported by Information Nigeria, the report was dismissed by the Federal Government who described it as “a poorly-done desk job.”
Shaibu, in reaction however said the electoral commission “failed woefully” in carrying out its duties during the election.
He said: “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.
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“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?”
According to him, 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.
“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,” he added.
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