2023 General Election: EU Disowns Observers’ Report

…Says they had no hand in observers’ report on Nigeria’s poll

European Union (EU) has clarified that it has no hand in the report of election observers on Nigeria’s February 25, 2023 presidential poll, won by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The EU made the clarification on Monday when the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, took up the issue with EU Ambassador To Nigeria, Samuela Isopi.

The EU envoy told the minister that the report was put together by independent observers and had nothing to do with her operations.

She pledged the union’s commitment to work with the minister to boost development in the nation’s capital and beyond.

Wike had criticised the EU for posting the damning report, especially on the 2023 presidential election, insisting that the report did not give the true position of the last election held in the country.

Wike told visiting Isopi in his office that the report created a wrong impression on the minds of the electorate especially in Rivers State.

The minister said the EU was supposed to serve as an observer during the last election and not to present a report that would not give the true picture of Nigerian democracy.

The European Union Election Observation Mission (EUEOM), through the chief observer, Barry Andres had in June presented its final report on the last Nigerian general elections, and highlighted six priority areas with recommendations.

Wike, however, said Nigerian laws cannot be the same as those of the EU because they have different environments.

“I did not agree with the European Union over the last report on the election in Nigeria. They are to observe that Nigerian laws cannot be the same as EU laws because they have different environments.

“In Rivers State, the EU’s report was different from what transpired there. How can people who believe in democracy and practice it, be portrayed as people who do not understand democracy?

“Our concern should be how to make the economy grow better, we have to cooperate and agree on specific areas of development in the Federal Capital Territory and the entire country. Foreign partners should be concerned with strategic development irrespective of the areas,” he said.