APC, PDP, LP React As US Gives Verdict On 2023 Election

The All Progressives Congress (APC), Labour Party, LP, and Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, have reacted to the United States 2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, which declared that the last general election in Nigeria reflected the will of the populace despite widespread irregularities.

The report seen on Thursday also stated that there were reports of campaigning at polling stations, a lack of ballot secrecy, and various irregularities during the country’s 2023 elections.

The report said many independent observers acknowledged that the presidential, legislative, and governorship elections largely reflected the will of voters.

APC

Reacting to the report, the Deputy National Organizing Secretary of the APC, Nze Chidi Duru, stated in an interview with Vanguard that the party has since moved on from the 2023 election and is concentrating on developing Nigeria’s electoral democracy.

Duru stated that the report is a welcome development. However, it does not need any external validation of the outcome of the 2023 polls.

He said, “It (report) is a welcome development but I want to restate that we do not need any external validation on the outcome of the 2023 general election. That election, as far as the party is concerned and as far as the people of Nigeria are concerned, is now behind us and we are looking forward to the 2027 general election.

“All the infrastructure of government at all levels, whether it is at the federal, state, local, or ward level, is already in place. Our councilors, National Assembly members, and governors have been elected and are in place. Where there are issues arising from that election, those elections have been contested in court, and we know that the courts have heard and given their well-considered ruling. So, we have gone beyond that.

“We also believe improvement, development, and change are constant things, and then, as a government, we will continue to encourage and fund INEC in a way that empowers them to be able to further improve the electoral process in Nigeria.

“As we continue to march on the path of democracy, we hope to continue to conduct elections that would reflect the will of Nigerians.

“So, in a nutshell, as much as this is welcome, we do not need any external validation. Elections had been conducted in 2023, and those elected have assumed offices. Where there are disputes, they are taken to court, and the issues have been resolved.”

PDP

The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba, said in a telephone chat with Vanguard: “I am yet to read the report, but one thing we, as a party, can assure Nigerians is that we remain committed to the advancement of democracy in our country.

“We are also committed to ensuring that our country does not become a one-party state or slide into dictatorship.”

LP

Speaking in a similar vein, his counterpart in the Labour Party, Obiora Ifoh, said: “With all said and done, we take solace in the fact that the report was fair enough to admit that there were irregularities, including but not limited to vote buying, ballot box snatching, intimidation, and physical attacks on our party supporters, especially in Lagos.

“The report was magnanimous enough to note that supporters of the All Progressives Congress, APC, suppressed votes in areas dominated by our supporters during the March 2023 governorship election in Lagos.

“To say the outcome of such an election reflects the majority view of Nigerians is left for the people to judge. Our commitment to the development of democracy in Nigeria remains unshakable.”