Nigeria: Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami) – Monitoring Nigeria’s Cyberspace before, during and after the 2023 Presidential and National Assembly Elections (14.03.2023)

Nigeria: Nigeria Civil Society – Situation Room – Third Interim Statement by the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room on the Presidential and National Assembly Elections (01.03.2023)

Nigeria: Tinubu’s hallow victory

“It’s official. APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has won the 2023 Nigeria presidential election with 8,794,726 votes” (Naija, 01.03.2023).

You would think it would be celebrations, that there would be fanfare or glorious tales of finally becoming President. I am sorry, but you’re not getting that. This weekend’s election in Nigeria isn’t only contested but questionable at best.

That’s why the main three opposition parties called for Fresh Presidential Elections yesterday in a Press Conferences, several organizations and civil society has questioned it. Election Observation Missions has put a finger on the collation process after the polls. So, the victory of Tinubu isn’t as significant as it could be.

In this regard, the man is possibly living on a lie and proudly supporting electoral manipulation. That is something he stated on election night, that he was fine with a little manipulation of the elections. Meaning, this man knew very well that he possibly couldn’t get elected or get in office by free and fair elections. The APC and the comrades of the state had to fix it or change it to fit Tinubu.

That’s how it looks like now. The INEC has already been in distress, it has shown weird tallies from various of states. Had there been a slow process, times the proclamations of results have stopped and suddenly re-started again.

This election is a farce. Not only for the Labour Party supporters, but for the PDP and others. There are many who is scorned and in disbelief, but this is how the rulers intended it to be. They selected a dude and they installed him. Not the people or the power of the ballot. No, another forced picked him.

That’s why this will not stand. The tension will rise, and the disgruntled people will maybe speak out. Because it is clear what went down. That is obvious from a far away. Tinubu wasn’t popular or had a cause to sell. He didn’t even have a credible campaign. His just a stooge and a figurehead to keep the APC in power. That’s all he is and he will not do anything. Just a second round Buhari… and Nigeria needs something else.

That’s why it’s hard to believe they selected a guy like him. That the people elected a man like him. When there were other candidates who seems more likable and popular. Since we know BAT isn’t all that. He couldn’t even win on his own turf in Lagos. Let’s just be real. “The city he built” nonsense…

So please, we know the gist. Now the aftermath will start, and we don’t know how this will be played out. Peace.

Nigeria: Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) – Build Government on Sovereign Will (27.02.2023)

Nigeria: Niger Delta Congress (NDC) – NDC Statement on the Worst Election in Nigeria’s Democratic History (27.02.2023)

Nigeria: Building Blocks for Peace Foundation – Press Statement on the Ongoing 2023 General Elections – Youth Must Remain Calm as Nigeria’s Peace and Security Sacrosanct (28.02.2023)

Opinion: The Collation Process is muddying the waters…

The February 25^th Elections in Nigeria is now under huge pressure and a lot questions asked. The INEC and the authorities will have a hard time explaining it all. Many are already speculating on manipulations, rigging or cooking the polls in favour of the incumbent party. That meaning Tinubu and APC getting another term by default. This is happening because of the power, influence and arrangements made within the APC itself. Therefore, the nerves and tensions are rising.

Right now the leaders, the representatives and everyone is fiddling while Rome is possibly burning. INEC are proving their inept, lack of due diligence and concern with transparent process of proceedings. That’s why even two separate EOMs are seeing the danger and the acts happening. It is so blatant and in your face. They are not even concealing it. It is sort of like the Tipp-Ex experience of Malawi the other year. All over again, but in Nigeria and with other parties having the power.

Just read these two parts of the preliminary statements from two EOMs!

“On elections night, EU EOM observers witnessed chaotic, disorganised, and tense conditions at generally overcrowded collation centres. In many instances collation officers were not on the site as polling staff arrived, many with incomplete forms, non-transmitted data, and sensitive material not properly packed. Many collations centres at ward level were not opened at all, particularly in the South-South and South#East where presiding officers were sent directly to the LGA collation centres. The EU EOM is continuing its observation, while noting improvements in the organisation of the collation. While the collation was ongoing, the presidential result forms from polling units were not on the IReV portal, though Senate and House of Representative results were slowly published. Presidential election result forms only started to be uploaded after 10 pm on election day raising concerns, with the total number of forms reaching only 20 per cent by noon 26 February and several were illegible. Only later the same evening, INEC explained the delay with “technical hitches.”” (European Union Election Observation Mission to Nigeria – First Preliminary Statement, 27.02.2023).

“Collation Process. Immediately after polls closed, INEC’s IReV system was not publicly accessible, and the absence of communication from INEC on potential technical challenges fueled speculation and rising concerns about the transparency of the results collation process. Presidential results forms slowly began to arrive at approximately 10 pm the evening of the elections, with inconsistency regarding whether polling units had all, or only some, of all three forms uploaded (House, Senate, and President). However many forms were highly pixelated and difficult to read. At the time of publication of this statement, approximately 30 percent of presidential results forms available on the portal. In a break from previous national elections, INEC announced it would determine turnout for the 2023 elections based on accredited voters over PVCs collected per the specific polling unit (as opposed to number of registered voters). INEC’s method for calculation does not provide a genuine representation of turnout – essentially treating registered voters without a PVC as an unregistered citizen – and also runs the risk of flawed data, as stakeholders have expressed concern with the ability of INEC to provide accurate disaggregated PVC collection figures. PVC collection data by polling unit was posted online late on election day, despite repeated promises to publish the data before the election, and observers noted that this figure was largely unavailable at polling units, making calculations based on these figures difficult to verify” (PRELIMINARY STATEMENT OF THE JOINT NDI/IRI INTERNATIONAL

OBSERVER MISSION TO NIGERIA’S 2023 PRESIDENTIALAND

LEGISLATIVE ELECTIONS, 27.02.2023).

When reading it and seeing it. The systemic and the planned effort is so obvious to the naked eye. They wouldn’t do all this, if there wasn’t a purpose. It is an initiative and a planned exercise to ensure an objective. That objective isn’t to elect and proclaim the most popular candidate, but the selected one. This is done by all means and with usage of both discreet and disingenuous manipulations. That is why the INEC has “technical glitches” and forms are impossible to read. It is done so the “stakeholders” can easily alter to advantage their “victor”.

This here isn’t even that deep, but just showing what is happening. The Preliminary Statements just shows it. The EU EOM and Joint NDI/IRI EOM is saying the same thing. At that point, you know it isn’t just noise, but an clear observation. A sign that you shouldn’t overlook. Peace.

Nigeria: Former President Olusegun Obasanjo – 2023 Nigeria Presidential Election – An Appeal for Caution and Rectification (27.02.2023)

Nigeria: Tinubu is wrong on this one…

“Perception is one thing. On rare occasions that you have skirmishes and lack of confidence, it is created by the politicians. Not the electoral process. In the electoral process we cannot see 100 per cent perfection. People have to tolerate that. Equally when you are talking of manipulation in some areas, you have to evaluate what is material. Materiality comes to play. How many compared to total turn out or total who voted. You’ve got to accept the result of a fairly responsible voter’s decision” – Bola Tinubu (25.02.2023).

Just as the INEC is counting and processing the votes of the Saturday polls. One of the main contenders for Presidency, the All Progressive Congress Presidential Candidate Tinubu is accepting electoral manipulation or election rigging. That is the gist I am getting from the quote, as he told this to journalists on the Saturday evening.

His main competition is the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party’s Peter Obi. So, yesterday should be election possibly for all three. Though we are seeing worrying signs that the APC and the incumbents plan to handle this itself.

We should be worried when the Presidential Candidate Tinubu says this on the night of the polls. The elections are contested, there are intimidation, use of force and open rigging. There been leaked videos of polling agents afraid of uploading the counted ballots. There been armed soldiers and APC agents or PDP agents raiding polling stations stealing and destroying the ballots. Therefore, the elections own integrity can be questioned.

There are enough leaked videos, questionable actions made by the INEC and other state operatives, which has made scene. In such a manner, that people are calling it out and wondering who is supporting this election in the first place. Especially, when the APC and their allies are using all means to get their “results”.

We know that Tinubu don’t care, he thinks it’s part of the plot. He thinks manipulation and rigging is part of the machinery and the way things moves. That is initially taking away the power of the voter and giving it to the counting authority. This is making it a charade and not a democratic choice. Instead, it is the “higher power” and the ones who has access who decides. The rest are just pawns on the chess-set awaiting for who they crown king.

The results are far from proclaimed, but the reports and the gist of things are worrying. The two-party narrative has been shattered by Obi and the LP. The popularity of Obi cannot be underestimated. This is why the authorities and the ones in power are playing with fire. Especially, if they are trying to make a fraud, a heist or takeaway the momentum of Obi. That’s how it looks like and we shouldn’t be shocked if they try.

I’m sure Tinubu would be less hesitant and less forgiving of manipulation, if they manipulated the results in favour of someone else than him. He expects to be the next man up. Tinubu is supposed to just continue where Buhari left-off. However, that isn’t up to the APC or Tinubu, but the people itself.

We can certainly expect some sort of tricks and trade-offs with the numbers. It is a three horse race and three candidates, which will gain votes across the Republic. However, these announced results has to be tested and checked. Hopefully the parties have collected the first initial forms and been able to sort the votes. Because, if they haven’t and they run on vibes. The ones that is in power and has the authorities on its side can announce themselves winners. That is just how this movie plays out. Expect nothing different here.

Tinubu told on the night of the election, that he is fine with election rigging. That says it all about his character and how he is willing to “win”. Atiku and Obi will be eaten alive by these sorts of political players. Unless, they have tooled up and can prove the mischief. Because that’s the next step, as we await the final proclamation and results from INEC. Peace.

Nigeria: Nigeria Labour Congress – Is INEC Subverting Nigeria? (26.02.2023)