The Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Prof. Itse Sagay, has a contrary thought of the 2023 general election which has been said to be characterised by several irregularities and alleged rigging.
The PACAC boss submitted that the 2023 polls were the best in Nigeria’s history. According to him, the 2023 general election was credible, citing that if not the All Progressive Congress (APC) will not lose in its Lagos State stronghold.
It has been reported that Sagay, who made this pronouncement when he was featured on Channels Television Sunday Politics, asserted that the 2023 polls represent the minds and will of Nigerians.
He said previous elections especially during other democratic dispensations were marred by irregularities.
The PACAC chairman who applauded the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in the conduct of the election maintained “In my personal opinion, in terms of representing the minds and wishes of Nigerians in an election, this is probably the best election we have had.
“So, we had good elections in 2011, 2015, and 2019. But in terms of representing or interpreting what Nigerians feel, it [2023] is the best election we have ever had.
If you look at the ways things have gone with the BVAS (Bimordal Voter Accreditation System), the very idea that the APC was defeated in Lagos, that should make you realise immediately that these are very credible elections. If you go through the whole country, it is the same sort of accuracy and reflection on the feelings of Nigerians.”
He, however, argued that the 2023 elections were determined by ethnicity, religion, and organizational skills.
He advanced that “But above all, what gave Tinubu the edge was his capacity to organise, plan and plant agencies and supporters and various administrative bodies all over the states in the country.”
“So, that in my view is the explanation of what happened,” he added. “So, I believe it expressed the true mind of Nigerians as of today. There is something natural about the results.”
