2023 Elections: Financial Times Describes Exercise as ‘Badly Flawed’

• London-based newspaper Financial Times says Nigeria’s just-concluded presidential election is “badly flawed”
• The London-based publication made its stance known in its editorial published on Thursday, March 2
• It added that Tinubu’s tally of 8.8 million in a country of 220 million people gave him the weakest of mandates

According to the publication, the Nigerian election failed to set the example needed for West Africa, where leaders have extended term limits or resorted to seizing power through the barrel of a gun.

Part of the article read:

“The election which appears to have delivered the presidency to Bola Tinubu, a wealthy political fixer running for the incumbent All Progressives Congress — was badly mismanaged at best.

“More worrying still was voter turnout, which was pitifully low at 27 per cent. If official results are correct, two-thirds of the 87 million people lined up for hours to collect their voter registration cards failed to cast their ballot. Apathy cannot explain it.

“Something, including the possibility of widespread voter suppression, must have prevented them from voting. The turnout of 25 million votes in a country of 220 million people is unacceptably low. Tinubu’s tally of 8.8 million gives him the weakest of mandates.”