In comparison to the 2011 elections, about 28 more people died during the general elections in 2023, according to president-elect Bola Tinubu.
The President-elect’s representatives, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Mr. Festus Keyamo, Chief Spokesperson and Minister of State for Labor, Mr. Sunday Dare, Minister of Youth and Sports, and Mr. Ajuri Ngelale, Assistant Principal Spokesperson, made this declaration on Wednesday, April 12, 2023, during the Parley with the international media held at the National Press Center in Washington, D.C.
In his words, Mr. Festus Keyemo said; “Whilst we look forward to an era when there would be no single casualty during elections in Nigeria, however, the statistics show that 2023 recorded the lowest casualty rates ever. During the 1964/65 elections, about 200 deaths were recorded as a result of election violence; the 1993 election recorded 100 deaths; the 1999 election recorded 80 deaths; the 2003 polls recorded 100 deaths and the 2007 polls recorded 300 deaths.
“The 2011 polls recorded 800 deaths, the 2015 polls recorded 100 deaths and the 2019 polls recorded 150 deaths. However, the 2023 polls recorded no more than 28 deaths as a result of election violence. So, the claim that this is the “worst” election so far is totally unfounded.”
Speaking to the media, President-elect Tinubu’s spokesperson touched on some election-related casualties while highlighting the results of the vote.
