Nigerians have expressed disappointment in the performance of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) during the 2023 presidential and National Assembly elections.
Many respondents described the election as embarrassing and shambolic.
Despite the high hopes of a free and fair election due to the use of the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS), technical glitches allegedly made it impossible for results to be uploaded from the polling units.
The inability and unwillingness to upload results to the IRev server raised concerns about the integrity of INEC and the election results.
The European Mission observers also described the polls as being marred by cases of abuse of incumbency, violence and intimidation, widespread allegations of vote buying, disinformation of voters, and a lack of planning in critical stages of the electoral process.
Also a coalition of observers from the United States also stated that the electoral umpire performed below expectations.
In response to the issues, The Quest Times conducted a Twitter poll seeking the opinion of social media users on the performance of INEC during the elections.
The results showed that 45% of respondents believed that INEC’s performance was embarrassing and shambolic, while only 12% thought they performed well. Another 12% believed that they tried their best, and 31% claimed that the election had been rigged.
It is essential to note that free and fair elections are crucial to the democratic process, and it is the responsibility of the electoral body to ensure transparency and fairness in the electoral process.
Therefore, INEC should address the concerns raised by Nigerians and observers to improve the integrity of future elections in the country.