2023 Elections: Opinion Polls, Social Media Misled International Community – Minister

The Nigerian government says the negative impression created about the country’s 2023 general election was because of the suspicious opinion polls conducted as well as the social media frenzy created by the opposition parties and other interested actors.

This was disclosed by the country’s information and culture Minister Alhaji Lai Mohamed in London on Tuesday during his official engagement of international media organisations and think tanks.

The Minister said he was impressed by the renewed responses and understanding expressed by the international community after series of engagements and discussions in respect of the country’s election.

He said elections have come and gone and a winner has emerged and as such, politicians must stop over heating the polity.

“The international community including the international media and Think tanks had a very strong mind-set that the election would be won by particular political party.”

“The activities of the Labour Party in particular on the social media, the various opinion polls which were very unrepresentative of the Nigerian situation and the general hype made the results of the election to take many of them by surprise.”

“In the course of my interactions particularly with the Economist, I referred them to their article which rated the Labour party Presidential candidate, Obi as the front runner in the polls.”

“I explained to them that there was no way a Presidential candidate who has no spread and a grassroot base could win an election in Nigeria.”

“I also explained to many of them that they were ignorant of the Constitutional requirements to win election in Nigeria. For instance not only that you must have the plurality of vote, you must also have one quarter of the total vote cast in at least 25 states of the federation.”

The Minister added that a quick look at the Presidentoal election results shows that only the candidate of the ruling APC and the winner of the election met the requirement.

He explained that the People’s Democratic Party’s  Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar came short of the requirement because he had the 25 per cent in 21 states while Obi came far behind with 25 per cent in 15 states. “This means that in the 22 states of the federation, they were virtually unknown”.

”I pointed out to many of the commentators and the media that I met today that they needed to understand that there was no pathway to victory for either of them, because they met neither of the conditions to be declared President”.

“I also took time to explain to people that I meant what it means to be a national organisation.”

”I explained that for any party to ignore the North-East, the North-West zones of Nigeria during a Presidential election, it will be impossible to win such polls.”

I also told them this election had thrown up a lot of surprises and it is precisely those surprises that made it credible and transparent.

He explained that most of the international community he met with are veterans who understand Nigeria and Africa very well.

I was able to put across to them the fact that there is no way either PDP or Labour could have been declared the winner of the elections.”

Speaking on the issue of large turn out of youths registration for the elections, Lai Mohammed explained that winning an election is beyond registration. “What INEC did was to ensure extention of registration by about 18 months.”

However, Alhaji Mohammed affirmed that it is one thing to register and it is entirely another thing to come out to vote.

“Those 24 million people that came to vote in the election are the authentic people that voted during the election.

I also used the opportunity to tell them that INEC should be given credit in the conduct of the election especially with the introduction of the technology which pave way for check and balances.”

The Minister said generally the international community is now coming to see our viewpoint that this the fairest and most transparent election in Nigeria history.

Swift Response
Responding to a call by Elder statesman Edwin Clark,the Minister said the matter referred to by the Elder stateman actually took place.

“That I said that the Vice Presidential candidate of the Labour party said on live television that if the President elect is sworn in on May 29 that would be the end of democracy in Nigeria and I chided him for saying that swearing in Tinbu is like swearing in the military.

What is the fake news in that? He said it on live television and he has never denied that.

Neither has Peter Obi called him to order for the treasonable utterances.What is my offence that I said what he said was treason, Of curse it is treason, You cannot threaten Nigeria.

The Minister, who explained that the position of the law is clear added that anybody who is aggrieved should go to court and not threaten Nigerians and heat up the polity because they lost an election.

“The APC won this election fairly and squarely and INEC declared him the winner and the President elect would be sworn in come May 29.”

“What will be my offence because I said the VP candidate pf the Labour Party said that if the President elect is sworn in it will be the end of democracy in Nigeria, even when the moderator tried to correct him on the TV program, he insisted that that was his position.”

 

N.O