Feb 25 polls not perfect but improvement on past exercises –Presidency

The Presidency has stated that the February 25 elections may have experienced some problems but were an improvement on previous exercises.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity, Garba Shehu, made the assertion in a press statement on Monday saying that no candidates except those who fell short were challenging the outcome of the exercise.

According to the statement, the adverse reactions received over the exercise are part of the learning process.

The statement thanked former ambassadors Mark Green and Johnnie Carson, and other foreign observers for their concerns over the logistics of the election in Nigeria and their work as observers on the National Democratic Institute/International Republican Institute Election Observation Missions.

It added: “It is worth setting their comments in context. No one has disputed the result of the election, except the candidates that fell short.

“The biggest and the most competitive presidential election in the history of Nigeria has been won by one man: Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The US State Department congratulated President-elect Bola Tinubu of the governing All Progressives Congress, APC and the people of Nigeria on the outcome of the ‘competitive election.’

“British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, was also quick to congratulate the winner, on this victory. And so did many others in ECOWAS and the African Union.

“Though it is true there were some delays and technical faults in the process that we can learn from – as is the case in any election the world over – the vote progressed and consolidated democracy in Nigeria. The integrity of the Electoral Act of 2022 was strengthened.

“The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System cut out ghost, unauthorised or multiple votes to stem fraud. The election may not have been pluperfect, but due to the steps the government has taken, it is an improvement on previous polls.

“That achievement should not be overlooked. The next step is for the Election Commission to ensure transparency in collation.