After over four days of tension, anxiety, threats, tears, and social media shades, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) finally declared the winner of the 2023 presidential election around 4:am on March 1, 2023, while the whole nation was still fast asleep. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the APC presidential candidate who ran his campaign on the theme, “Renewed Hope,” once told everyone, Emilokan, a Yoruba term meaning it’s my turn to rule, was named the President-Elect. As you must have guessed, Tinubu as President-elect was not the happy new month gift many Nigerians hoped to wake up to. The February 25, 2023, election, which many thought would be free and fair, was a massive disaster.
This is besides many voting along tribal and religious lines. The voting results from many polling units were not uploaded. Thugs, especially in Lagos and Rivers, were caught on tape disrupting the election process and physically harming electorates. In some states like Imo and Anambra, many voters were disenfranchised as the INEC officials refused to show up. The BVAS device also malfunctioned in many towns. To cap it all, there were cases of security agents stealing ballot boxes and INEC officials doctoring election results. Despite this, INEC insisted on using the results to declare a winner, even with massive calls for cancellation of the election and a rerun.
The aftermath was BAT’s declaration as president-elect, which has since been met with jubilations from some corners of the country and gloom, sadness, and despair in other places. Celebrities are not left out. They have been reacting massively on their social media pages, with some going as far as shading celebrities that supported the opposition party, like the Obidients. Very quickly, let’s look at the top reactions so far.
