INEC Has Disgraced Nigeria – Osuntokun

By Gideon Njoku

The Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council, PCC, Director General, says that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has disgraced Nigeria.

Osuntokun, after a hard look at the performance of INEC on Saturday, February, 25, 2023, in the Presidential and National Assembly elections, dismissed it as disgraceful.

Not a few Nigerians agree that INEC and Security Agencies performed poorly. In a number of places, both INEC Officials and election materials arrived late. There were shortages of the materials, and deliberate disappearance of others. It was obvious, in some areas, that INEC connived with politicians to suppress votes.

On the part of Security Agents, they watched while thugs and violence held sway. Guns boomed. They snatched ballot boxes, openly intimidated voters, sending them away, especially, in Lagos and Rivers States, and beating up voters. In some places, the Police helped in manipulating the votes. In one Polling Unit, at least, three Police Officers were caught thump printing ballot papers. Youths pounced on them.

In a statement on Sunday, the LP DG warned INEC not to plunge the nation into an avoidable crisis.

He expressed LP’s displeasure at the conduct of INEC officials in most parts of Lagos, Imo, Rivers and Delta states, where he said a quite a number of LP  members were stopped from voting.

He said: “INEC should not throw Nigeria into crisis. First, we are grateful to God that Nigerian election has not become the bloodshed that many enemies of our dear country had predicted.

“We thank Nigerian people that in spite of the glaring failures of INEC and the deliberate criminality of status quo politicians, they came out and stayed throughout and peacefully cast their votes.

“We are grateful to young Nigerians for their faith in Nigeria and the vision of greatness and justice we have offered them.

“We note that many polling units in Rivers State, Imo State, Delta State, and Lagos State did not vote because INEC did not send any voting materials and officials to these places.

“There is the case of Unit 16, Ward 53 at Ogbogoro Secondary School in Obio-Akpo LGA with more than 700 voters who are strong Labour Party supporters.

“This selective disenfranchisement violates the constitutional rights of Nigerians and a deliberate plan to deny Labour Party of deserved sweeping victory at the polls.

“At this point we want to alert Nigerians that the rest lies on INEC. INEC’s performance in this election has been disgraceful.

“We are sad that there is unnecessary delay in transmitting results from across the country.

“We are alerting INEC that Nigerian youths are impatient and would not accept any deliberate failure to transmit the real results.

“Nigerian people will not accept any later transmission of fake results. We have received intelligence of effort being made in Imo State, Rivers State, Lagos State, and several other states to compromise the results.

“Anyone who pays attention to the mood of Nigerian people know that the people — North, South, East and West — are tired.

“They want a better future for their people.

“They want Nigeria that works for all citizens and they will resist any conspiracy by INEC and the status quo politicians to overthrow their sovereign will.

“We call on INEC to quickly upload the results of the pooling units. INEC leadership should resist the attempt by governors and leading politicians in these states to subvert the will of the people.

“INEC is the one now pushing the country to the precipice of violence by its deliberate inefficiency and failures to implement the provisions of the electoral law.”