Presidency expresses reservations on IRI/NDI report on 2019 Presidential Poll

The Presidency yesterday said it welcomed , with reservations, the joint report of the IRI and the NDI on the 2019 general elections in Nigeria and recommendations for the 2023 general elections. 

Presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu, said it was instructive that President Buhari clearly won the vote and that the report in no way disputed that fundamental fact. 

 He said President Buhari won by almost 4 million majority with a 14% margin. “However, the most important thing in an election is that it reflects the will of the people which in our circumstances was acknowledged to have been a success by ECOWAS Observer Mission and YIAGA AFRICA whose parallel vote tabulation verified INEC’s presidential election result as announced. This we achieved. 

“We have developed a tradition of improvements in our electoral process through enforcement of our electoral law which resulted in the prosecution and conviction of electoral officers that were found wanting in compromising our electoral process. 

“We, however, agree notwithstanding, that there are improvements that must be made in the process for the future. The sheer size, terrain and remoteness of certain regions do pose serious logistical challenges.” 

“It was unfortunate that the election was postponed yet imagine if the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had gone ahead unprepared. The delay undoubtedly resulted in a lower turnout. 

“Because there are registered to vote in their place of birth, and not where they live, many Nigerians could not make arrangements to travel back again,” he said. 

He said the fact still remains that major democracies of the world have equally recorded worst turnout in modern history. 

He added that the effect of voter turnout, at any rate, was a two-way traffic that affected both sides equally

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