London’s Financial Times knocks INEC, says presidential election badly flawed

As controversies continue to trail Nigeria’s just concluded 2023 presidential and National Assembly polls held last weekend, The Financial Times of London has said the elections were badly flawed, just as it lambasted the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for misfiring.

“Violence was troubling. Party goons invaded many polling stations in what appeared to be blatant acts of intimidation. The Financial Times witnessed armed men remove a presidential ballot box in Surulere, Lagos.”The London-based media outfit stated the official result put Tinubu on 37 per cent, from Atiku’s 29 per cent and Obi’s 25 per cent.It argued, however, that some individual results did not pass the smell test, which it stated, “includes Obi’s ever-so narrow victory in Lagos state, where crowds had greeted him like a rock star.”

It further said, “More worrying still was voter turnout, which was pitifully low at 27 per cent. If official results are right, two-thirds of the 87 million people who lined up for hours to collect their voter registration cards failed to cast their ballot. Apathy cannot explain it.“Something, including the possibility of widespread voter suppression, must have prevented them from voting. Total turnout of 25mn votes in a country of 220mn people is unacceptably low.“Tinubu’s tally of 8.8 million gives him the weakest of mandates.”It stressed that Obi and Atiku must now decide whether to pursue their claims of rigging in the courts and that if they do, Nigeria’s judiciary should take a long hard look at their case.

It recalled that the courts in Kenya in 2017 and Malawi in 2020 had overturned suspect elections, maintaining that if Nigeria’s courts find suspicions, they should not shrink from annulling individual contests or even the whole result.“It is plausible courts could conclude that — despite some obvious irregularities — the overall result reflected the will of the people. In that case, or if there is no court challenge, Tinubu will be faced with one of the most difficult jobs in the world. “Nigeria has been teetering on the edge of catastrophe, with a breakdown of security and an almost total absence of growth. Neither is sustainable. By 2050, Nigeria will have 400 million people. They cannot be left without hope,” the paper stated.

In conclusion, it advised that the next president must quickly remove the ruinously expensive fuel subsidy and rationalise the exchange rate system.It also advised that the security agencies, specifically the army and police, which are riddled with ineptitude and corruption needed urgent reform, stressing that “these basic steps are the minimum to begin to repair a deeply damaged country.”Pointing out that Tinubu campaigned partly on his ability to pick a strong team, the paper said if confirmed as president, he must name a cabinet of independent, competent and honest ministers.“Even Nigerians who did not vote for him will hope against hope for that,” it added…