Bola Tinubu, the newly elected President, shared that approximately 28 lives were lost during the 2023 elections, a stark difference from the 2011 elections.
Mr. Festus Keyamo, Chief Spokesperson and Minister of State for Labour, Mr. Sunday Dare, Minister of Youth and Sports, and Mr. Ajuri Ngelale, the Deputy Chief Spokesperson, conveyed this information on behalf of President-Elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu. This took place during an interaction with international media at the National Press Center in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, April 12, 2023.
According to Keyamo, “The goal is to achieve elections without any death in Nigeria. Nonetheless, the statistics indicate that the 2023 elections marked the lowest recorded death toll. The 1964/65 elections saw about 200 fatalities due to electoral violence, while the 1993 elections resulted in 100 deaths. 80 people were killed in the 1999 elections, and the 2003 and 2007 elections recorded 100 and 300 deaths, respectively. The 2011 elections reported 800 fatalities, and the 2015 and 2019 elections resulted in 100 and 150 deaths respectively. Hence, with a loss of just 28 lives due to electoral violence, the 2023 elections can’t be deemed as the “worst”.”
The newly elected President’s spokesperson addressed the issue of election fatalities and discussed the voting results to the media.
Many Nigerians, however, have shown frustration towards the comparison being made.
@Adewale Johnson commented: “So, he’s justifying the killings? It is clear that this is what Tinubu is trying to communicate. We’ll be discussing this on Twitter for many years ahead.”
@Nath added: “800 people lost their lives due to one person. Are we now comparing deaths?”
In addition, @Anthony wrote: “He’s saying that the deaths aren’t enough, I’m done.”
@Stanley questioned: “Since deaths are being compared, does that make it a part of the election process?”
@Folarin_Bobo scoffed: “Are we competing now… worthlessly.”
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