Atiku, Obi blast Presidency over comment on EU’s report on 2023 elections

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP), two opposition parties, have condemned the Presidency for rejecting the European Union’s (EU) final report on the presidential election of February 25.
The PDP and LP assert that the EU Observer Mission’s findings about “enduring systemic weaknesses” in the election were unreliable. The Presidency, meanwhile, called the EU assessment a “poorly done desk job” and denied election irregularities.
The EU report offered 23 recommendations for electoral changes, highlighting the necessity of accountability, openness, and inclusivity. The Presidency declared that the general elections in 2023 were credible and well-organized while criticizing the EU’s methods for acquiring statistics.
In reaction, Atiku Abubakar, the PDP candidate for the most recent election, accused the administration of refusing to accept the truth and questioned the validity of the vote, citing INEC’s (Independent National Electoral Commission) delayed result uploads.
Atiku’s special assistant Mr. Phrank Shaibu claimed in a statement that the EU’s final report on the 2023 elections demonstrated that the results of the election were not a real reflection of the desire of the people.
He contends that it is hypocritical for the Federal Government to accept EU election support while disregarding the results because they are unfavorable.
The National Publicity Secretary of the LP, Obiora Ifoh, concurred, telling Daily Trust that the president’s remark was an attempt to save face.
“It will interest the government to note that the European Union’s report is only one out of numerous submissions by other international Observers who have described the outcome of the election as a sham and an exercise that did not reflect the will of the majority of Nigerians,” Ifoh was quoted as saying.
He stressed that the “Labour Party stands by the position of the EU observation mission. We have always said that this election was massively rigged in favour of the APC and their candidate.
“What the FG is saying is just an afterthought and a shameless effort to mask the obvious. Even the blind can see, the deaf can hear and they know this election was manipulated.”
The PDP, LP, and several other opposition party members did embrace the conclusions of the EU study, emphasizing the necessity of contesting the election results in court.
The All Progressives Congress (APC), which is currently in power, supported the legitimacy of the election, but the EU assessment was viewed as a chance for development rather than as a condemnation. The opposition’s response to the EU assessment became more complex when the prospect of a Government of National Unity (GNU) in Nigeria was raised.