Chatham House Gives Verdict On Presidential Election, Says INEC Less Prepared

Chatham House, a London-based independent policy center, has criticized the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for its handling of the 2023 presidential election.

In the February 25th elections, INEC named Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress the winner, defeating Peter Obi of the Labour Party and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party.

According to news reports, Chatham House, also known as the Royal Institute of International Affairs, holds open debates with governments, the commercial sector, civil society, and its members. Before the presidential election, all of Nigeria’s leading presidential candidates visited the organization.

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Dr. Leena Koni Hoffmann, Associate Fellow, Africa Programme, wrote for the organization that based on its analysis of the February 25 presidential election, INEC appears to have failed to learn new lessons.

According to the institution, the electoral body did not follow the guidelines it issued prior to the election, particularly the one concerning real-time uploading of results.

The delayed opening of polls meant that many potential voters were unable to vote, according to Chatham House.

Hoffman wrote, “The INEC’s performance and controversies over these results mean that the electoral reforms and lessons declared to have been learned were not fully applied and, as an electoral body, it was significantly less prepared than it claimed.

“The logistical failures of INEC and widespread delayed opening of polling units meant that voters who showed up at the polls early were frustrated, and many voters and INEC staff were not able to locate their polling units for several hours.”

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Despite recurring fuel crises, erratic power supply, historic inflation, and a painful cash constraint, Nigerians lined in the sun and rain to vote, according to Reuters.

It went on to say that, despite their efforts, thousands of people were denied the right to vote, and that several anomalies, as well as intimidation and violence, were documented.

Chatham House stated, “Less than half of eligible voters could participate in the elections, despite the commission’s N305 billion budgetary allocation. While Nigeria’s youth seemed energised leading up to the elections, it seems their ability to turn out is still being hugely constrained by how difficult and potentially dangerous it is to cast a vote in Nigeria.

“The INEC’s performance and controversies over these results mean that the electoral reforms and lessons declared to have been learned were not fully applied.

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“At just 25.7 percent, the elections have the lowest recorded turnout of any election since Nigeria returned to democracy in 1999, despite being the most expensive. These dwindling numbers highlight how Nigeria’s politics and state institutions continue to exclude rather than include.”

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