The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has eighteen months after the Nigeria’s 2023 presidential election, offered some clarification on why the presidential election result was announced at 2:00AM on March 1st, 2023.
According to INEC’s chief press secretary(cps), Rotimi Oyekanmi, the whole thirty six states of the federation, seven hundred and seventy four local government councils are treated as a single constituency in a presidential election. He said the presidential election requires the collation of results from wards and local government councils across the country.
Oyekanmi explained further that the chairman of INEC waited for returning officers across the country including distant states such as Sokoto State, Borno, and others to present their collated results at the state level in Abuja as the Nigeria’s law demands.
He added that the Nigeria’s electoral law or constitution does not suggest a particular time for presidential election declaration.
Making reference to the 2015 presidential election, Oyekanmi stated that former INEC chairman, Attahiru Jega announced the 2015 presidential election at 4:00AM