Nigerians are anxiously awaiting the results of the presidential and parliamentary elections held on Saturday, February 25, 2023. Despite the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) spending over 300 billion naira ($652m) to conduct the election, there have been a string of logistical errors, leading to delays, equipment failure, and reports of voter suppression and violence in some parts of the country.
The election is seen as the most competitive in Nigeria’s political history, with three main contenders – Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) party, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar from the main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and Peter Obi from the Labour Party – as well as a wildcard candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP).
The joint National Democratic Institute/International Republican Institute (NDI/IRI) observer mission noted that “logistical failings caused late openings across the country, creating tensions, and the secrecy of the ballot was compromised in some polling units given overcrowding”. In some cases, voters reported having to volunteer to keep watch overnight at their polling units to ensure voters could cast ballots and to observe the count.
At the Awada Primary School in Onitsha in the southeastern state of Anambra, more than a thousand people waited more than six hours to be accredited and vote. Officials arrived late and could not get the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) to work.
The election is seen as a referendum on President Muhammadu Buhari’s eight-year rule at the head of Africa’s biggest democracy. More than 130 million Nigerians live in poverty, according to government statistics, and many have expressed concerns and grievances with widespread issues.
In order to win in the first round, a candidate has to secure the largest share of votes overall and at least 25 percent of 24 of Nigeria’s 36 states, as well as the Federal Capital Territory – Abuja. With no presidential candidate having a clear path to victory after early results, experts believe the election might be heading for a runoff.
Nigerians are anxiously awaiting the outcome of the election, with many hoping for a new set of leaders to emerge in Nigeria and displace establishment candidates who have been around since the days of military rule in the 1990s. Oluwaseyi Elijah, a 26-year-old student from Ilorin, expressed his disappointment with INEC’s conduct, saying there were “a lot of irregularities that have led to results manipulation”. Meanwhile, Damilare Kanyisola, a Lagos-based visual artist, recounted how he was threatened with violence if he did not vote for a certain candidate.
The slow collation of results by INEC has caused much anxiety among Nigerians at home and in the diaspora. With no clear frontrunner in sight yet, citizens are hoping that their votes will be counted fairly and accurately.