A United States 2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices arrived at its conclusion that the 2023 polls reflected the will of Nigerians.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Presidency welcomed the report but emphasized that the party’s electoral successes did not depend on external validation.
However, the opposition Labour Party (LP) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) questioned the basis on which the report concluded that the 2023 polls accurately represented the will of Nigerians, given the evident irregularities.
The report, issued by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labour within the US Department of State, detailed human rights practices and violations across various nations, including Nigeria.
The report also stated that there were reports of campaigning at polling stations, lack of ballot secrecy and various irregularities during the country’s 2023 elections
According to the report, the recent general elections in Nigeria were deemed to reflect the will of the people, despite significant irregularities.
The report highlighted allegations that supporters of the APC impeded voting in Igbo-dominated areas during the Lagos gubernatorial election in March 2023.
The report partly read, “National elections were widely reported to have reflected the will of voters, despite technical and logistical difficulties, and some irregularities.
“Many independent observers who assessed the results of the presidential, legislative, and state-level elections during the year reflected the will of voters despite reports of voter suppression and vote-buying, campaigning at polling stations, lack of ballot secrecy, violence, and intimidation.
“During the March 18 state election in Lagos, All Progressives Congress (APC) supporters reportedly intimidated and suppressed voters in Igbo-dominated areas, which Labour Party Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi, won in the February 25 national election.
“Viral videos on social media showed APC supporters in Ojo (LGA in Lagos) threatening to attack ethnic Igbo voters presumed to be pro-Obi.
“In Eti-Osa, APC supporters also attacked journalists and, in some cases, shut down voting and prevented non-Yoruba voters from accessing polls. They similarly destroyed property and physically blocked voters in Amuwo-Odofin.
“According to videos posted on social media, police officers were present but failed to respond to attacks.”
However, in response to the report, the two primary opposition parties, the PDP and the LP, reaffirmed their dedication to enhancing democracy in Nigeria, notwithstanding its imperfections.
National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba, in a telephone chat with Vanguard said: “I am yet to read the report but one thing we, as a party, can assure Nigerians is that we remain committed to the advancement of democracy in our country.
“We are also committed to ensuring that our country does not become a one-party state or slide into dictatorship.”
Speaking in a similar vein, his counterpart in the Labour Party, Obiora Ifoh, said: “With all said and done, we take solace in the fact that the report was fair enough to admit that there were irregularities, including but not limited to vote buying, ballot box snatching, intimidation and physical attacks on our party supporters, especially in Lagos.
“The report was magnanimous enough to note that supporters of the All Progressives Congress, APC, suppressed votes in areas dominated by our supporters during the March 2023 governorship election in Lagos.
“To say the outcome of such an election reflects the majority view of Nigerians is left for the people to judge. Our commitment to the development of democracy in Nigeria remains unshakable.”
The Deputy National Organizing Secretary of the ruling party, APC, Nze Chidi Duru, stated that the party had moved forward, focusing on advancing Nigeria’s electoral democracy.
