ABUJA, Nigeria – Festus Keyamo, former Minister of State for Labour and Employment, has sharply criticized the European Union Election Observation Missions, EU-EOM, for a report that accused him of disseminating fake news ahead of the 2023 general elections in Nigeria.
Keyamo contended that the EU-EOM report was “presumptuous and outside their mandate.” He made his views known through a statement posted on his verified Twitter account on Wednesday, July 5, 2023.
It is important to note that the EU-EOM report mentioned Festus Keyamo and Femi Fani-Kayode as individuals who were involved in spreading fake news during the run-up to the elections.
ALSO READ: EU Election Observers Indict Former Ministers Keyamo, Fani-Kayode in 2023 Fake News Campaign
In his statement, Keyamo alleged that the EU-EOM report was biased and did not reflect a fair assessment of the events leading up to the elections.
The part of the EU report that asserts that there was a single incident throughout the whole campaign where I retweeted a news item by a ‘suspicious website’ does not deserve my response because it is so presumptuous and outside their mandate and exposes a deep-seated bias about…
— Festus Keyamo, SAN, CON, FCIArb (UK) (@fkeyamo) July 5, 2023
He stated, “The part of the EU report that asserts that there was a single incident throughout the whole campaign where I retweeted a news item by a ‘suspicious website’ does not deserve my response because it is so presumptuous and outside their mandate and exposes a deep-seated bias about how the so-called observers went about their assignment.”
He further added, “However, for the education of the gullible and unfortunate ones who are jubilating over such a poor report, I will say a word or two.”
The EU-EOM is known for observing elections in various countries to assess the electoral process’s fairness, transparency, and accordance with international standards for democratic elections.
However, its reports sometimes generate controversy, especially when stakeholders in the observed country feel that the report is not reflective of the realities on the ground or biased.
As of the time of reporting, the EU-EOM has not responded to Keyamo’s accusations.
The conversation around the 2023 general elections in Nigeria continues to be a topic of debate and scrutiny both within the country and internationally.
