In a significant development that has captured the nation’s attention, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has addressed the controversy surrounding the timing of the announcement for the 2023 presidential election results.
Following days of anticipation, Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was declared the winner of the hotly contested election, securing 8,794,726 votes.
Tinubu’s main rivals in the race included Atiku Abubakar from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peter Obi of the Labour Party, and Rabiu Kwankwaso representing the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
The declaration, made on March 1, 2023, at approximately 2 a.m., sparked varied reactions nationwide. According to Rotimi Oyekanmi, the Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman Professor Mahmood Yakubu, the timing was influenced by the extensive logistics involved in gathering results from across Nigeria’s vast landscape.
He explained that the collation of election results follows a multi-tier process, moving from polling units to wards, local government areas, states, and finally to the national tallying center in Abuja.
Oyekanmi clarified that no legal framework, neither the constitution nor the electoral act mandates a specific timeframe for declaring results, which allowed INEC the necessary leeway to ensure a meticulous and accurate announcement.
He noted, “In a presidential election, the country is treated as one constituency. Results are declared at polling units, then collated at the ward, local government, and state levels before being presented in Abuja to the Chief Electoral Commissioner. People didn’t understand this and criticised the 2 AM announcement.
“The Chairman had to wait for 36 returning officers, including those from distant locations, to present their results. The electoral act requires that results be brought and the returning officers be interviewed. The chairman questions the returning officers and, if unsatisfied, sends them back.
“Only after accepting all figures from the returning officers and the FCT can results be collated and announced. The delay led to claims that we declared results in the middle of the night. However, Prof. Attahiru Jega declared the 2015 results around 4 AM. The constitution does not prescribe a specific time for declaring election results.”
