Era of single party domination over — Yakubu says 2023 general elections 'best' since 1999

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu has said that the era of single-party dominance in Nigeria’s national politics is a thing of the past.

The chairman of the electoral body made this known on Tuesday, July 4 in a meeting in Abuja with the Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs).

Mr Mahmood stressed that the 2023 elections produced the most diverse outcomes ever recorded since 1999.

“Today, five political parties produced state governors, seven parties won senatorial seats, eight are represented in the House of Representatives and nine in State Houses of Assembly.

“Clearly, the 10th National Assembly is certainly the most diverse in party representation since 1999.

“In some states around the country, different political parties controlled the legislative and executive arms of the government. What is clear from these records also is that the days of single-party dominance of our national politics are probably gone,” Yakubu said.

He stressed that the 2023 general election was meticulously prepared for.

He said, “The first set of elections, the presidential and National Assembly, were held as planned for the first time in the last four general elections conducted in the country. Accreditation of voters using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) has generally been scored very high by voters.

“Our records show that the success rate for BVAS accreditation stands at 98% compared to the Smart Card Reader’s 29.2% during the 2019 general election,” Yakubu said.

He noted that above all, despite the divergent opinions about the outcome of the election, the overall outlook suggests that it is a fair reflection of a complex multi-party democracy.

He assured that in line with INEC’s policy, at the end of the internal review and engagement with stakeholders, a comprehensive report would be published by the commission.