The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike has said that the report of the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU-EOM) on the 2023 general elections in Nigeria is flawed and an inaccurate reflection of what transpired at the polls, News About Nigeria reports.
The FCT Minister expressed his dissatisfaction on Monday in Abuja when he received the EU Ambassador to Nigeria, Samuela Isopi in his office.
According to Wike, the report did not give the true position of the last election, especially as it concerned his state, Rivers.
He further stated that the EU was supposed to serve as an impartial observer during the polls and not to present an inaccurate report of Nigeria’s electoral democracy.
The EU-EOM, in June through its chief observer, Barry Andres, presented its final report on the 2023 general elections.
Speaking on the the report of their observation which the All Progressives Congress, APC, had also kicked against, the Minister stated that Nigerian laws cannot be the same as those of the EU because of the peculiarities of both environments.
In his words: “I didn’t agree with European Union over the last report on the election in Nigeria. They are to observe, that Nigerian laws can’t be the same with EU laws because they have different environments.
“In Rivers state, the EU report was different from what transpired there. How can people who believe in democracy and practise it, be portrayed as people who don’t understand democracy?
“Our concern should be how to make the economy grow better, we have to cooperate and agree on specific areas of development in the Federal Capital Territory and the entire country. Foreign partners should be concerned on strategic development irrespective of the areas.”
In her response to Wike, the EU Ambassador to Nigeria, Samuela Isopi noted that the election report was put together by a delegation of independent observers and has nothing to do with her own operations.
She, however, assured him of the Union’s continued commitment towards working with him for the growth of the FCT and the Nation at large.
