Senator Shehu Sani has lambasted the protesters at the embassy of the European Union in Abuja following the final report by of the European Union Election Observation Mission to Nigeria (EU EOM) on the 2023 general election.
The Chief Observer of the European Union Election Observation Mission had, in the union’s preliminjary report released on March 20, 2023, severely criticised the election organised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), saying that it failed to live up to expectations.
EU EOM, in the final report, revealed that at least 74 people lost their lives from some 101 violent incidents before, during and after the elections, which was adjudged as critically flawed.
The Union also stated that lack of transparency in the implementation of election technology used during the 2023 general election was part of the bane of the presidential election.
Explaining why INEC failed during the 2023 general election while reacting to election preparations, the European Union election observers noted that despite some concerns, INEC repeatedly assured stakeholders that it had the necessary resources and that it was ready for the smooth conduct of the elections.
It, however, collapsed wherever it faced a hostile environment for election.
It further alleged that a former Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo and a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Femi Fani-Kayode promoted fake news during the electioneering period.
EU EOM, thereafter, recommended ways for Nigeria, especially, INEC, to improve the electoral processes and uphold regional and international standards.
The report, meanwhile, did not go down well with certain individuals and authorities, especially those caught in the report’s cross-fire.
President Bola Tinubu, for example, said that he has rejected the European Union Electoral Observer Mission’s report, describing the final report as a product of a poorly done desk job that relied heavily on rumours.
The director of Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), Prof. Ishaq Akintola, said it picked holes in the final report on Nigeria’s 2023 general election, described the report as biased.
Beyond the rejection, the ruling APC organised its members to protest at the embassy of the European Union in Abuja on Thursday.
Taking to his twitter handle, @ShehuSani, Senator Shehu Sani condemned the protesters, saying that the report should, rather, “guide us to perfect our system”.
The human rights activist and a fighter for Freedom and Justice tweeted:
“The protest in the front of the EU Embassy in Abuja over the election report is a hollow and futile noises of conscienceless Abuja protest merchants. They are masquerades of the decadence in our country.The EU report is a compass that should guide us to perfect our system.”
In the meantime, Nigerians are anxiously waiting for the verdict of the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) as INEC and APC concluded their defences after presenting one witness apiece. Read more.
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