The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reported that out of the 1,196 petitions filed in connection with the 2023 presidential, governorship, national, and state House of Assembly elections, 891 petitions, or 74.4%, have either been dismissed or withdrawn. INEC has released a status report on the outcomes of these petitions, emphasizing that this high rate of dismissal confirms the credibility of the elections it conducted.
INEC clarified that it cannot be held responsible for petitions arising from party primaries, as these fall outside its purview. The National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr. Sam Olumekun, stated that the mere filing of petitions should not cast doubt on the integrity of the recent elections, as they are an essential part of the democratic process.
As of October 16, 2023, the report reveals the following breakdown of dismissed or withdrawn petitions in various categories:
- For governorship elections, 72 out of 82 petitions (87.8%) were dismissed or withdrawn by the petitioners.
- In senatorial elections, 100 out of 146 petitions (68.5%) were dismissed or withdrawn.
- House of Representatives elections saw 309 out of 413 petitions (74.81%) dismissed or withdrawn.
- State Houses of Assembly elections witnessed 468 out of 550 petitions (82.4%) dismissed or withdrawn.
INEC criticized the characterization of the 2023 General Election as regressive due to litigation without empirical evidence, stating that the report did not consider the details of individual cases. INEC pointed out that multiple petitions were often filed by candidates and political parties in a single constituency, leading to misleading statistics. For instance, in one state in the South-South geopolitical zone, eight petitions challenging the governorship election were filed, with seven being dismissed and one withdrawn. This example highlights the complexity of the petition landscape and the need for a nuanced analysis of the election outcomes.
INEC’s report aims to address concerns regarding the validity of the 2023 elections and to highlight the significant proportion of petitions that were ultimately deemed without merit, reinforcing the credibility of the electoral process.