By Doris Israel Ijeoma
In a fierce showdown, the Nigerian political landscape was set ablaze as the Labour Party (LP) and the federal government engaged in a heated clash over the European Union’s (EU) report on the recently concluded general election.
The LP’s national publicity secretary, Obiora Ifoh, fired the first shot, lambasting the government’s dismissal of the EU’s findings as a feeble attempt at saving face. With resolute conviction, Ifoh expressed the profound disappointment felt by the LP leadership, highlighting the government’s desperate efforts to discredit the EU’s conclusions on the flawed electoral processes employed during the 2023 general election.
Barry Andrews, the EU’s chief observer, had earlier voiced his concerns regarding the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) operational challenges and technical glitches plaguing the bimodal voter accreditation system (BVAS) and the result viewing portal. These discrepancies, Andrews stated, had significantly eroded public trust in the electoral body.
However, the federal government swiftly dismissed the report, brushing it off as a shoddy and hastily executed desk job. Ifoh vehemently condemned this response, regarding it as an inadequate attempt to address the glaring issues surrounding the election.
The LP spokesperson further emphasized that the EU’s report was not an isolated critique but merely one of numerous submissions by international observers. All of these observers had decried the election outcome as a sham that failed to reflect the true will of the Nigerian people.
“The Labour Party firmly stands by the EU observation mission’s position,” declared Ifoh, his voice carrying the weight of unwavering conviction. He boldly asserted that the government’s actions were nothing more than a smokescreen to obscure the undeniable truth.
Leave a Reply