Why we declared 2023 presidential results at 2am – INEC

Eighteen months after the 2023 presidential election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has clarified the timing of the result declaration in the early hours of March 1, 2023.

President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was declared the winner with 8,794,726 votes, ahead of other contenders: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party (LP) candidate, Peter Obi, and New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso.

INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, announced Tinubu’s victory at about 2am on March 1, which was a Wednesday. The timing of the announcement raised concerns among some Nigerians, who felt it should have been made during the day.

Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, explained that the country is treated as a single constituency during presidential elections, requiring a detailed process of collating results from polling units to wards, local governments, states, and the national level.

Oyekanmi noted that the Chairman had to wait for 36 returning officers from across the country, including those from distant locations like Sokoto and Maiduguri, to present their results in Abuja as required by law.

He stated that the constitution or electoral act does not specify a particular time for declaring election results.

He said: “In a presidential election, the country is treated as one constituency. Results are declared at polling units, then collated at the ward, local government, and state levels before being presented in Abuja to the Chief Electoral Commissioner. People didn’t understand this and criticised the 2 AM announcement.

“The Chairman had to wait for 36 returning officers, including those from distant locations, to present their results. The electoral act requires that results be brought and the returning officers be interviewed. The chairman questions the returning officers and, if unsatisfied, sends them back.

“Only after accepting all figures from the returning officers and the FCT can results be collated and announced. The delay led to claims that we declared results in the middle of the night. However, Prof. Attahiru Jega declared the 2015 results around 4 AM. The constitution does not prescribe a specific time for declaring election results.”