2023 Elections: EU’s Report Can’t Delegitimize Tinubu’s Govt

Former Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo said the European Union Observer Mission (EUOM) 2023 general elections report can not delegitimize the government of President Bola Tinubu.

Keyamo stated this in a statement via his verified Twitter handle on Monday.

Recall that the EUOM, in its report less than a week ago, pointed out some flaws in the general election and made recommendations to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

But, the EU’s report has been greeted with reactions and backlash from some Nigerians, including Keyamo.

Keyamo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, stated that there is no election worldwide without irregularities.

He explained that the issue is whether the supposed irregularities affected the election outcome.

According to him, the EU’s report is not a document that tells who won or lost an election.

Keyamo, a spokesperson for the defunct Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council, noted that only the Judiciary can legitimize or delegitimize President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government.

He stated, “It is only a forensic examination of the entire process by the judiciary that can determine the extent to which the supposed ‘irregularities’ affected the outcome of the elections. And there are legal rules already laid down to achieve this.

“The EU report is NOT (and cannot be) a document that tells you who won or lost an election. It only reports the ‘irregularities’ noticed and recommends improvement in future elections.

“Therefore, all the hoopla over that EU report is neither here nor there when it comes to legitimizing or delegitimizing the government of the day. That power or responsibility belongs to the Judiciary,” he said.

Recall INEC had declared Tinubu, the winner of the presidential election.

However, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party and Peter Obi of the Labour Party are currently at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, challenging the victory of Tinubu.