•INEC Chairman failed Nigerians; he should resign ― CSOs
Taiwo Amodu – Abuja
There was mild drama on Tuesday at the Zambezi Crescent, Maitama, location of the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) headquarters.
Findings revealed that a group sympathetic to the President-elect, Bola Tinubu stormed the Commission Secretariat to show solidarity with the Commission for conducting an election it adjudged as free, fair and credible.
Secretary, Support Group Coordinator Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Campaign Council, Tosin Adeyanju who led the protesters said their mission was to protect the mandate freely given to Tinubu by Nigerians.
Recall that the national chairman of the People’s Democratic Party, Senator Iyorchia Ayu and the party presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar led other chieftains of the PDP to equally stage a protest at the INEC headquarters on Monday.
Adeyanju told journalists that “Tinubu will be president for all. He won overwhelmingly, across the country.”
A few minutes after they left a coalition of the Civil Society Organisation(CSO), comprising 18 organisations, addressed newsmen at the Commission headquarters, accusing INEC Chairman of compromise.
Convener of the coalition, Dada Olayinka, said the Commission disappointed Nigerians by failing to meet up its pledge to conduct a transparent electoral process.
He declared that prior to the election, INEC had promised that their staff were well trained, motivated and psychologically prepared for the election whose results would be transmitted electronically to their server from the polling units across the country.
He said:” INEC claimed the BVAS technology was going to be effectively deployed to forestall rigging and overvoting. These were major pillars upon which Nigerians anchored their excitement and belief in the process of electing their leaders.
“However, events during and after the elections would later prove that INEC performed below expectations and pulled the wool over the eyes of Nigerians: Over 93.5 million Nigerians were registered for the February 2023 election, but only 23% of the total figure was able to vote. This is lower than in previous elections.
“Late distribution of election materials. While many had hoped to maximally utilize the use of BVAS technology for easy accreditation and eventual voting thereby increasing participation, the BVAS technology was either deployed lately or bypassed in many polling units thereby disenfranchising a large majority. In many other areas, people who had arrived at polling units ahead of time couldn’t enjoy voting rights due to non-functionality and or inexperienced operation of the BVAS by largely untrained Adhoc staff.
“In places, BVAS worked efficiently, there were reported cases of overvoting in many centres leading to a denial of voter’s rights. Many votes didn’t count.
“Large-scale violence orchestrated by political thugs supported by some desperate candidates who knew it was impossible for them to win free and fair elections thereby leading to the cancellation of results.
“Non-transmission of results from polling units to the INEC server and the non-functionality of the IReV where Nigerians would have had the opportunity to monitor results real time and accurately.
“Non-adherence to the rules set by INEC itself for the conduct of the election. Compromise of the process by some ad-hoc staff of INEC and ballot snatching.
“In view of the above, it is obvious that INEC deceived Nigerians into believing it was ready for the election whereas the commission was ill-prepared despite over 300 billion naira of taxpayer’s money the commission received to conduct the elections.”
Olayinka also alleged possible manipulation of election results at the polling units due to non-transmission in real-time.
“It is safe therefore to conclude that INEC not only conducted the worst election so far in Nigeria’s history but blatantly took the people for a ride. INEC also flagrantly disobeyed its own rules and regulations and disregarded the provisions of the electoral act.
The 2023 election cannot, therefore, be adjudged to be free, fair, credible and transparent.
“The Coalition of Civil Societies of Nigeria, an umbrella forum comprising 18 others demands the immediate resignation of Professor Mahmoud Yakubu and also the entire cancellation of the sham results announced by him.
“We align with the observations of foreign missions particularly the EU, AU, ECOWAS and others who have all ascertained that INEC failed to meet the credibility required in discharging her duties. The UK, US and other advanced democracies/governments and all lovers of democracy have also willingly expressed their views that the election fell short of a remarkably credible test.
Nigerians are discontented with the poor and unprofessional handling of sensitive assignments such as this which empowers them to freely choose leaders of their choice and enthrone popular government.
“We also demand a probe of possible reasons INEC under Prof. Mahmoud Yakub failed Nigerians and Africa’s biggest democracy. Nigerians will not accept any foisting of a compromised election on the nation.”
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