By Ade Martins-
Nigerian APC presidential candidate, Tinubu has established a clear early lead in Nigeria’s 2023 as rival parties cry foul, alleging fraud in the most fiercely contested elections in recent years.
As supporters of the APC leader celebrate his early lead, the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party have alleged foul play and discredited the transparency of the new electronic voter system used for the first time in Nigeria in an attempt to vet the legitimacy of the election process.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) chairman Mahmood Yakubu has denied the allegations and vowed to continue announcing the results.
The Labour Party asked for the announcements to be suspended, or for the election to be re run.
Bola Tinubu has asked for those dissatisfied with the results to go to court, as he stated the need for the parties should first let the process run its course.
Mr Tinubu has already gathered 44% of votes cast, ahead of Mr Abubakar on 33%, and Mr Obi on 18%. with many of the results from the north and south-east, yet to be declared.
Mr Obi from the formerly obscure Labour Party is expected to mount a strong challenge to the two-party system with the support of many young people, who make up a third of registered voters. There are 15 other candidates.
A candidate needs to have the most votes and a quarter of ballots cast in 25 of the 36 states plus Abuja to be declared the winner, without which there will be a run-off within 21 days – a first in Nigeria’s history..
Tinubu has accepted defeat in Lagos and said that as a democrat, he was bound to accept the outcome of any election.
“People have a right to vote for the candidate of their choice,” he said in a statement released by his campaign team.
He also appealed for calm from his supporters after his loss, following reports of violence in parts of Lagos against traders from the Igbo community, like Mr Obi.
Tribal factions in Nigeria are a big problem sparked by historical issues of division and deeply entrenched views about various tribes used to make sweeping generalizations across the board.
Inec had assured Nigerians that the electronic voting system, known as Bvas, would improve transparency, but with the elections marred by ballot box snatching and allegations of corruption, there is plenty of scepticism about the credibility of results.
That said, allegations of ballot snatching were only reported in minority of states, as many of the states experienced no disruptions .
However, there complaints on Saturday from many voters that electoral officials refused to upload the results at the polling stations as they are supposed to.
Officials cited a lack of internet in some places to upload the results, a pathetic excuse to eb given on election day. Common sense makes it clear that any responsible government would ensure the smooth flow of internet access everywhere during an election period.
Some voters have shared videos and images shared where Inec officials refused to upload the results, calling for cler explanations for the delay.
Strong allegations of irregularities in the elections are a disturbing aspect for many observers, but INEC appears determined to continue to announce the results , leaving discontent parties to figure out how to address the issues of mistrust they have with the system.