One of the most credible and transparent elections in Nigeria – Lai Mohammed

Information and Culture Minister Lai Mohammed described the 2023 elections as the most transparent and credible ever in the country.

The minister said this on Saturday March 18 in his hometown, Oro, near Ilorin Kwara, as he spoke to reporters after casting his ballot in the gubernatorial and state assembly elections.

Mohammed said the introduction of the bi-modal voter accreditation system, BVAS, has helped solve the problems of multiple accreditations, voting and rigging.

“With what I have observed in the elections on February 25 and today, there has been a remarkable improvement in the performance of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)

This is for me probably one of the most transparent and credible elections in Nigeria. This is why I worry about the wanderings of certain people whom I can qualify as sad losers in the aftermath of the presidential elections and the National Assembly.

“I’m happy to say that some of the aggrieved parties have gone to court. It’s the best thing in any election in the world. Let the court interpret what the law says.”

“Without a doubt, the introduction of BVAS has been a game changer in that with BVAS you can get the actual number of accredited people.

“Also with BVAS, it is no longer possible for you to vote twice because your biometric and facial data are entered.

“This explains why although the INEC said there were 84 million voters in Nigeria, the last elections showed that only around 24 million people voted,” he said.

He said most of the issues raised about INEC’s credibility in conducting the polls were meant to distract people.

“What we’ve noticed is that some media houses have taken a stand for a candidate and that renders most of the analysis we see on their platforms useless,” he said.