Political pundit and publisher Dr Sani Abubakar says the 2023 presidential and legislative elections have been free and fair despite the challenges encountered by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The trio of Peter Obi, Bola Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar have mostly been labelled as the major contenders for the presidential polls.
He noted that the loss of Bola Tinubu in Lagos state, a stronghold of the APC bannerman, clearly indicated that the election was duly conducted. Dr Abubakar also referenced Senator Abdullahi Adamu’s loss in Nasarawa despite his status as the ruling party’s national chairman. He said:
“The results coming out from the states showed that the results of the elections are nothing but transparent.
We see how the Labour Party won with a considerable margin in Lagos State, and how the National Chairman of the APC lost his state to the Labour Party too.
“In fact, even President Muhammadu Buhari lost his state to the Peoples Democratic Party. This is a clear indication that the elections were free and fair.”
However, Dr Abubakar did not fail to acknowledge the shortcomings of the BVAS machine but urged Nigerians to keep calm and allow the electoral body to do its job adequately.
He said: “We must make every effort to control our emotions and be law-abiding. As President Muhammadu Buhari said, we must allow INEC to do its constitutional duties. “Therefore, no one, no matter how highly placed, should instigate, cajole, persuade and lure the public Nigerians to lose confidence in the process.
I encourage Nigerians to wait patiently for INEC to declare the winner of the presidential elections, and where there are grievances, people should go to court”