The outcome of the 2023 presidential election sparked considerable controversy. GIFT HABIB writes about the postponement of the governorship and state Houses of Assembly polls, the reactions of parties, and the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) preparedness for the Saturday elections. The INEC, once praised as a “beautiful bride” days before the presidential vote, has suddenly become the fall‑guy in the aftermath of the February 25, 2023 elections. Critics have thrown bricks of different shades and colours at the electoral body, despite earlier applause for its preparedness.
What excited many Nigerians was that, for the first time in three presidential cycles, the poll was not postponed. The 2015 election was delayed to allow security forces to clear Boko Haram‑infested areas in the North‑East, and the 2019 vote was postponed due to logistical issues. This time, INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu and his team managed to hold the poll despite nationwide insecurity. However, the result has pitted INEC against those who once praised its deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and its result‑viewing portal.
On March 1, INEC declared the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Bola Tinubu the winner, announcing 8.8 million votes for him, versus 6.9 million for Atiku Abubakar (PDP) and 6.1 million for Peter Obi (Labour Party). Atiku and Obi refused to concede, vowing to challenge the outcome in court. In separate press conferences on March 2, both candidates rebuffed Tinubu’s conciliatory gesture, in which he asked them to support his nation‑building agenda. The PDP’s spokesperson, Debo Ologunagba, claimed the election’s integrity was compromised, accusing INEC of deliberately refusing to upload all polling‑unit results to the portal. The Labour Party’s candidate also vowed legal action, alleging deviations from electoral rules, voter intimidation, suppression, and late voting in some states. The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) described INEC’s collation process as a “sham,” citing systemic rigging and an illegible ballot‑paper logo.
Both Atiku and Obi filed ex‑parte motions with the Presidential Election Court (PEC) in the Federal Capital Territory, requesting inspection of the election materials. On March 3, the Court of Appeal granted their request. INEC subsequently sought to vary that permission, arguing it needed to reconfigure the BVAS before the March 11 governorship and state Houses of Assembly polls. On March 8, the PEC approved INEC’s request, with a three‑judge panel ruling that preventing the reconfiguration would adversely affect the upcoming elections and that allowing the objections would “tie the hands of the respondent, INEC.”
Hours later, INEC announced the postponement of the governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections, originally set for March 11–18. National Commissioner and Chairman of Voter Education and Publicity Festus Okoye explained that the delay would allow adequate time to back up data from over 176,000 BVAS machines used in the presidential and National Assembly elections and to reconfigure them for the upcoming polls. The Labour Party’s national chairman, Julius Abure, criticised the move, arguing that INEC’s court application to vary the inspection order was unnecessary and that the postponement undermined trust. The APC, however, said it respected INEC’s decision, trusting that data would be properly backed up on cloud facilities.
On March 18, INEC reassured parties that BVAS data would be backed up for inspection and that all requested documents would be made available. The commission also affirmed that election results would be transmitted via its result‑viewing portal, noting that glitches which delayed the presidential results had been fixed. Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, said a meeting with Returning Officers (RECs) focused on final preparations for the governorship, state Houses of Assembly, and other supplementary elections scheduled for March 18. He warned that any lapses would be the responsibility of the REC concerned, and the RECs pledged to conduct free, fair, credible, and inclusive elections.
Political analyst Jackson Ojo explained that the postponement could deepen Nigeria’s democracy. He noted that the governorship election is a local contest that requires meticulous preparation to avoid the controversies that marred the February 25 poll. Ojo compared the opposition candidates’ recourse to the courts with global standards, citing former U.S. President Donald Trump’s legal challenges after the 2020 election. He argued that litigation enriches electoral democracy and that the numerous pre‑election matters brought before the Court of Appeal in November underscore the need for credible primaries and robust election management. Ojo concluded that the March 11 postponement serves the country’s best interests by allowing INEC to perfect its preparations for the March 18 vote.
Legal practitioner Sani Rabiu echoed this view, stating that there is nothing wrong with the postponement. He pointed out that INEC had previously delayed elections in 2015 and 2019, and that a delayed but well‑conducted election is preferable to a flawed one given the prevailing conditions.
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