Only INEC Can Save Kamala, Nigerians Playfully Mock 2024 US Election Outcome
By: Abdulwasiu Akintunde
Many Nigerians took a lively interest in the recent 2024 U.S. presidential election, actively supporting their favourite candidates, choosing between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump while engaging passionately on social media.
OPEN TELEVISION NAIJA (OTN) News gathered that following the directions the US election results took with Trump winning, Nigerians on platforms like Twitter have taken an advantage of the situation to humorously critique Nigeria’s electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Among other things, Nigerian Netizens have joked about the stark differences between the seamless voting process in the U.S. and the chaotic experience of Nigeria’s 2023 elections.
Some questioned supporters of Nigeria’s ruling party, poking fun by asking if they’d seen ballot snatching, voter intimidation, or security forces shielding political thugs in the U.S. as had happened in Nigeria.
When it looked like Trump was heading for victory, the jokes intensified. Some users called on Nigeria’s INEC chairman to intervene, claiming he was the only one who could “save Kamala Harris.”
Posts like “Only the INEC chairman can help Kamala right now” began trending, sparking further sarcastic playful commentaries.
The humor continued post-election, with edited images showing altered election results favoring Harris over Trump, accompanied by captions like “Go to court” and “Breaking News: INEC declares Kamala the winner.”
In another instance, after a Pennsylvania judge extended voting hours following a bomb threat, Nigerian users humorously contrasted it with their own experiences.
One tweet read, “Nigeria is indeed several years backward. In less than 24 hours, the U.S. had its results, but INEC took days and announced at midnight, like a thief,” to which another user responded, “Correction, several decades backward.”
What's Your Reaction?