A United States’ Professor of Applied Economics at Johns Hopkins University, Steve Hanke, has reacted to the outcome of Nigeria’s 2023 presidential and National Assembly elections held on Saturday February 25, 2023.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the early hours of Wednesday declared Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) winner of the February 25, 2023 presidential election.
The electoral umpire amid controversies over the outcome of the elections across the country, said that Tinubu, a 70-year-old former Lagos State governor polled a total of 8,794,726 votes to his closest contender, former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar of the PDP who secured a total of 6,984,520 votes and Obi who came third with a total of 6,101,533 votes.
According to the results announced by the INEC, Atiku, Obi and Rabiu Kwnakwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) who came fourth with a total of 1,496,687 votes have rejected the outcome of the election, alleging irregularities and violation of constitution and Electoral Act, 2022 by the INEC during the process.
Thousands of Nigerians across the country have rejected the elections as there were reports of electoral violence in many places, late arrival of INEC officials and electoral materials, large records of disenfranchisement, mutilations of elections results and INEC’s failure to transmit the election results electronically from the polling units as provided by the Electoral Act, 2022.
Though the US Government has sent a congratulatory message to the president-elect, Tinubu, the US Professor, Hanke said that when it comes to Nigeria’s electoral commission and its Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, “incompetence and corruption” are the name of the game.
Reacting to the outcome of the elections on his Twitter page, Hanke said, “Nigeria’s presidential election draws to a close, with Bola Tinubu declared the victor amidst cries of vote rigging. When it comes to Nigeria’s electoral commission and its chairman Mahmood Yakubu, INCOMPETENCE & CORRUPTION are the name of the game.”