INEC declares Harris winner, tells Trump to go to court, netizens joke on U.S. election

For various personal reasons, many Nigerians became actively engaged in the recently concluded 2024 United States presidential election. They passionately campaigned for their preferred candidates, particularly Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.

As the election progressed, Nigerians on social media had a field day, taking playful jabs at the country's electoral body, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). It became an opportunity to sarcastically revisit the challenges and controversies of the February 25, 2023, general elections.

Some Nigerians pointed out the contrast between the smooth election process in the U.S. and the chaos often associated with Nigeria's own elections. They humorously questioned supporters of the ruling party, asking if they'd witnessed ballot-snatching, election violence, or the intimidation of voters in America. They also asked if anyone saw security forces protecting political thugs, as had been the case in Nigeria.

As it became apparent that Donald Trump was poised to win, some social media users humorously called on the INEC Chairman to intervene and stop Trump's victory, even suggesting that only the INEC Chairman could save Kamala Harris. Posts like "Na only this INEC man fit help Kamala Harris right now" began trending.

The jokes continued even after the election, with people sharing doctored photos of the two main candidates, changing the election results to favor Harris. One viral post altered Harris's score from 224 to 280 and reduced Trump's from 267 to 100, accompanied by the captions "Go to court" and "Breaking news: INEC declares Kamala winner."

In another twist, a judge in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, extended voting hours due to a bomb threat, prompting Nigerian users to contrast the situation with their own country. One Twitter user, @erotichal, tweeted, "Nigeria is indeed several years backward. In less than 24 hours, the election results were out in the US, but in Nigeria, INEC took 4-5 days and announced the results at midnight, like a thief."