A group, United Action Front of Civil Society, has faulted what it termed combative reaction of the President Bola Tinubu-led administration, following a report on the last general elections released by European Union Election Observation Mission (EU-EOM).
Head, National Coordinating Centre of the group, Olawale Okunniyi, yesterday, said: “It is indeed obvious that the Tinubu-led regime is palpably troubled by burden of the flawed mandate it currently presides over. The leadership of the organised civil society strongly condemns the combative posture of the new administration, whose handlers are regrettably unmindful of the responsibility and decency required of the presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
He said: “It reeks of bare-faced hypocrisy for the Tinubu administration to accuse the EU of attempting to ridicule the Nigerian electoral system and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), when, in actual fact, the report of the EU only partly captures widespread flaws majorly orchestrated by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) during the February 25 presidential elections, as well as the rescheduled governorship polls, held March 18, 2023.”
Okunniyi commended EU-EOM for the courage it demonstrated in stating facts, saying it was evident that atrocities and grand robbery that characterised the elections in some parts of the country were either not captured or were under-reported.
He added: “We maintain that the final EU Election Observers Report on the 2023 general elections, presented by Barry Andrews in Abuja, calls for sober reflections, as Nigeria can only ill afford to tread the ugly path of under-performance by INEC, coupled with interference of incumbents in future elections.
“While we appreciate the desperation of President Tinubu’s handlers for the pitiable defence of an obviously rigged process, in which their principal has become beneficiary in the interim, we, however, marvel at the insincerity and lack of decency in pretending that the presidency, presided over by Tinubu, can genuinely affirm credibility of the 2023 polls on behalf of Nigeria and Nigerians.
“We also wonder when and how the presidency, under Bola Tinubu, has suddenly become the mouthpiece of INEC. It smacks of arrogance for the presidential handlers of Bola Tinubu to castigate the EU that partnered and heavily funded INEC in the process leading to the 2023 polls. The presidency was only hiding behind a finger by condemning the EU-EOM report, which clearly speaks to what the world already knew about shortcomings of the 2023 polls.”