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Election: Obasanjo Is A Danger To Democracy- Gen. Akinrinade

February 28, 2023

Genreal Alani Akinrinade (rtd) has described former President Olusegun Obasanjo as a danger to the nation’s democratic process.

Akinrinade, a former Chief of General Staff spoke following a statement issued on Monday by Obasanjo where he called on President Muhammadu Buhari to rein in the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for allegedly trying to compromise the results of the February 25 presidential and National Assembly elections.

The former president urged the president to wade in before the country is plunged into chaos due to the anger against the electoral body by Nigerians.

But in a statement, Akinrinade said Buhari must not listen to the former president, who he described as an “inteloper” who is trying to destroy the nation’s democratic process.

He appealed to well meaning Nigerians to disregard Obasanjo, saying everything must be done to protect the nation’s unity.

The statement in full:

As a General who fought for the unity of this country and one that has witnessed the many twists and turns of our Democratic development, I am certain that Nigeria this time is on the right path. I find it most disturbing and objectionable that a former General and President will introduce such a diatribe into the body politic of Nigeria at such a delicate time as this.

Being not neutral, Obasanjo’s intervention falls short of patriotism and fits perfectly into meddling in the affairs of state that is already the constitutional responsibility of INEC.

Nigerians can easily recall the obasanjo years and his democratic antics and many bullish attempts at circumventing the political process.

I call on President Muhammadu Buhari to ignore Obasanjo’s recent interruptions and focus on supporting the lawful institution to do its job by allowing the process to run it’s full course.

The President Buhari i know will let the process run its full course and will not intervene in an undemocratic manner to truncate the ongoing political process.

Luckily, President Buhari is made of finer and more principled democratic stuff. He will not allow Obasanjo to lure him into tainting his democratic credentials in this regard. I recall that in his last trip to the United States, President Joe Biden praised Buhari’s commitment to democratic values and principles. Obasanjo has no such record to be applauded.

The world has not forgotten his fraudulent and undemocratic attempt at a third term agenda in violation of the letter and spirit of the Nigerian constitution.

In 2007, after his botched third term bid, Obasanjo conducted the worst election in the history of Nigeria. The beneficiary of that electoral heist, Late President Umaru Yar’Adua openly admitted that his presidency was a product of a fraudulent election with a commitment to reform the electoral process.

Nigerians have voted. Their votes have counted. Let no one disrupt the process.

Election Results: Falana Disappointed With INEC

James Orji

February 28, 2023

Rights activist, Femi Falana, a senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN has joined other Nigerians expressing anger over the conduct of last week’s presidential and National Assembly election.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has received criticism from not a few Nigerians who said they are dissatisfied with how the election was conducted across the country, citing cases of rigging, thuggery and intimidation of voters in places like Lagos and Rivers states, amongst others.

Among prominent Nigerians who said they are unsatisfied with the election include former President Olusegun Obasanjo who called on President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene and call INEC to order over, alleging manipulation of results due to the electoral umpire ‘s failure to release election results electronically.

Speaking on Tuesday, Falana, a human rights lawyer said INEC conduct has been most dissatisfactory.
According to him, the Commission has been tainted by some of its staff who allegedly compromised the election, adding that the Prof. Mahmood Yakubu – led body must now go back to the drawing board to prevent it from making future mistakes.

He said: “I expect INEC to go back to the drawing table and review the role of its ad-hoc staff, the role of its staff and ensure that all those who have been arrested by the police for disrupting the election, for announcing fake results or for forging results and for deliberately preventing people to vote must be charged to the relevant court so that those who are going to manage the next election will know that it will not be business as usua.”

He said the refusal of INEC to release results through the BVAS is raising serious suspicion among Nigerians who believe that the election results are being manipulated.

On Monday in Abuja during the final collation of results by INEC, Dino Melaye, a Returning Officer for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, caused a stir at the International Conference Centre, ICC after he accused INEC of trying to compromise the election.

He later led some other agents out of the Centre in protest.

Cancel Results Where BVAS Were Bypassed, Mass Thump-printing Occurred – CNPP Urges INEC

The Source

February 28, 2023

Conference Of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately cancel election results in parts of the country where the newly introduced Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines were bypassed during accreditation.

The CNPP in a statement signed by its Secretary General, Chief Willy Ezugwu, recalled that “the BVAS is an electronic device designed to authenticate voters during accreditation based on the 2023 electoral guidelines.

“The legal framework for conducting the 2023 elections consists of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended; the Electoral Act, 2022; and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Election Regulations and Guidelines for the conduct of the elections.

“When the commission introduced the BVAS machines into the Nigerian electoral system, the compact device was intended to serve as the only means of verification of the genuineness of the PVCs through the fingerprint or facial authentication of voters during accreditation. All verifications outside the BVAS are invalid.

“On the other hand, uploading the polling unit results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) was intended to be in real-time on election day, which was substantially not the case.

“So, we are afraid that the election results from polling units to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) were suspiciously delayed because even results from different major cities across the country with good internet connections were not uploaded real-time to the INEC results portal.

“In the same vein, INEC officials were also being accused of paypassing the use of BVAS machines for accreditation in some parts of the country, expecially in the North East and North West, leading to allegations of massive thumb-printing and stuffing of ballot boxes.

“Another very noticeable anomaly is on viral videos where clearly under-aged voters in some states were seen thumb-printing ballot papers in parts of the North.

“The use of violence to scare voters as well as vote-buying persisted in parts of the country throughout the presidential and national assembly elections on Saturday.

“We, therefore, call on the electoral body to exercise its powers under the law to cancel results of polling units where violence, vote buying or mass Thumb-printing of ballot papers took place.

“Polling unit officials deployed by the Commission were accused of bypassing the BVAS machines, which is the only means of accreditation of voters. This is not in compliance with the electoral guidelines for the 2023 general elections as released by INEC and any election result from such polling unit must be canceled and rerun ordered.

“We also call on the international community to note these observations and pressure INEC to do the needful by ensuring compliance to its own guidelines.

“The current delay in announcing the results of the presidential election is even raising more suspicion that INEC has an ulterior motive or is acting a script to produce a particular candidate other than the one voted for by Nigerians”, the CNPP stated.

Army Intercepts Bus Filled With INEC Officials, Policemen, Fake Soldiers, Manipulating Results

The Source

February 28, 2023

Fake Policemen and Soldiers Manipulating Election Results

By Charles Igbo

The Nigerian Army has intercepted a bus filled with Officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Policemen and fake Soldiers driving round, and manipulating Results of the Presidential and National Assembly elections in Akwa Ibom State.

The interception was made in Akwa Ibom State by vigilant Soldiers. The criminals were driving round the State, collecting Ballot Boxes at Polling Units, and corrupting the results.

In a number of viral videos, hoodlums, and men in Military and Police uniforms were seen, especially, in Rivers State, storming Polling Units and snatching ballot boxes. Sadly, they went about unchallenged by Security Agents on duty.

In one particular Polling Unit in Delta State, three Policemen on Election Duties, were caught with scores of ballot papers, thump-printing them in favour of a political party.

In the instant case in Akwa Ibom State, the Army said it has handed over the suspects to the Police Command, Akwa Ibom.

At the time of filing this report, the Police was yet to issue a statement on the shameful incident.

Labour Party Rejects Electoral Robbery in Rivers, Calls For Outright Cancellation

The Source

February 28, 2023

Julius Abure - Labour Party National Chairman

By Charles Igbo

The leadership of the Labour Party says it is shocked by the revelations emanating from Rivers State after the Presidential and National Assembly elections which held on Saturday.

The Party pointed out that thugs believed to be agents of the State Government invaded several Polling units and Collation Centres, took away election materials including the results sheets, manipulated the BVAS machines and uploaded fake results in to the Central portal.

The LP has, therefore, called for the outright cancellation of the enture Rivers State results.

The videos of the unbelievable and unprecedented incidents in the State have since gone viral on Social Media Platforms, especially, WhatsApp.

In a statement signed on Monday, February 27, by the National Chairman of the Party, Barr. Julius Abure, the Party said:

“We took particular note of incidences in places like Obio/Akpor, Khana, Eleme, Obigbo, Rumukoro and several other areas where Labour Party was clearly leading in virtually all the polling units with very wide margins. Governor Nyesom Wike, faced with stark reality of defeat, even in the polling units in his compound in Worji, where LP scored 323 votes against APC and PDP’s 5 and 2 votes respectively, used soldiers and police to intimidate, harassed and snatched ballot papers.

“Nigerians went into this election based on the assurances by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC that the deployment of BVAS was a perfect antidote to electoral malpractices in Nigeria, but what transpired across Nigeria, if allowed to stand is purely a betrayal of trust by millions of Nigerians on INEC.

“INEC’s staff were intimidated by these thugs in connivance with the military personnels and police officers who were deployed to protect them, into doing their bidding and were forced to manipulate the BVAS, being afraid of the consequences of their refusal. Some of these manipulations happened way into late in the night. We demand that INEC investigate these atrocities against Nigerian voters by the political class.

“We are, therefore, asking that INEC should rise to the occasion and cancel all the unverified and manipulated results arising from the presidential and national assembly elections in parts of Rivers state particularly in places like Obio/Akpor, Khana, Eleme, Obigbo and Rumukoro amongst others.”

Discontinue With The Disgrace Called Collation Of Results, SMBLF Tells INEC

Adesina Soyooye

February 28, 2023

By Adesina Soyooye

The Southern and Middle Belt Forum, SMBLF, has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to discontinue with “the disgrace it calls Collation of Results.”

Reacting to the many breaches which accompanied the Presidential Election held on Saturday, 25th February 2023, SMBLF said INEC, by its shabby conduct of the Election, has reduced Nigeria to a joke before the International Community.

In a statement issued on February 27, SMBLF said the conduct of the election was unacceptable to the body, and has created mistrust between the people and INEC.

It said: “The conduct of INEC on Voter inclusivity, security, punctuality, logistics, deployments, integrity, and compliance to Electoral Act on electronic transmission of results has, unfortunately, created very serious mistrust between the electorates and INEC, casting very serious doubts not only to their status as fair and unbiased umpire, but very importantly on the credibility of the results that they are collating and announcing even without uploading most of the Polling Unit Result Sheets to their Server as required by law”

It also mocked the Press Statement issued by INEC on Sunday, 26th of February, and posited that it was riddled with gaps which are incongruous with good judgment and reason.”

The statement called on Nigerians, especially, the Youths, who it said have endured “all forms of intimidation and threats to their lives for the sustenance of democracy in the country to demand that votes must count.”

Following is the full text of the statement and the signatories.

“We, the Members of the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) have over the years, and especially in the run-up to the 2023 Presidential election in Nigeria, insisted on an inclusive Nigeria that embraces all ethnic, religious, linguistic, gender and demographic groups and especially the youths of the country.

“Our vision of a Nigerian Federation is firmly anchored on the cardinal democratic principles of the rule of law, equality, equity, fairness and justice. It was in recognition of these principles that we adopted Mr. Peter Obi and his running mate, Mr. Ahmed Datti of the Labour Party as embodiments of these very lofty aspirations.

“2. The hopes for a new Nigeria have been so eloquently expressed not only in the continuous voter registration process which saw the largest numbers of youth registration but also the largest voter turn-out in the history of elections in the country.

“We commend the Nigerian people especially the youths for their uncommon demonstration of patriotism. The zeal to salvage their country, Nigeria, through a peaceful, democratic election is unsurpassed. They showed exceptional courage against all odds in order to exercise their civic responsibility. They endured long hours stretching into the wee hours of the morning in the queue, to vote and to ensure their votes are not only counted but also matter. They withstood voter intimidation, suppression and violence to exercise their constitutional rights. We salute the young woman who in spite of severe injuries she sustained to her face returned very gallantly to vote for the candidate of her choice.

“3. We feel very constrained, in spite of the commendable progress in the evolutionary process in the consolidation of our democracy, to note with concern the egregious and unacceptable conduct of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the conduct, transmission & collation of the various results of the election across the Nation.

“The conduct of INEC on voter inclusivity, security, punctuality, logistics deployments, integrity and compliance to Electoral Act on electronic transmission of results has unfortunately created very serious mistrust between the electorates and INEC casting very serious doubts not only to their status as fair and unbiased umpire but very importantly on the credibility of the results that they are collating and announcing even without uploading most of the Polling Unit Result Sheets to their server as required by law. Apart from the fact that none of the 176,846 Polling Unit Results was electronically transmitted online real-time, evidences abound of faint Result Sheets uploaded, completely illegible.

“Video evidences of INEC Officials caught falsifying election results at local collation centres and voters attacked and locked out from voting on grounds of their tribe, religion or party affiliation are numerous in public domain, including destruction of ballots by hoodlums and senior Govt officials while security men watched without acting; under-aged voting, among many infractions that would suggest ill-preparation and/or collusion. There were senior partisan Govt officials interference at INEC Collation Centres to influence results, which could not have been possible had the results been transmitted electronically at the polling units as expected; and all available evidence points to one “favored political party gettingg away with murder”, thereby denying others ‘level playing field’.

“4. We find the Press Statement which the Independent National Electoral Commission issued on Sunday, 26 February, 2023, riddled with gaps which are incongruous with good judgement and reason. It is indeed jejune to argue that the reason for the gaps is because the servers which were used for off-season state elections were not reconfigured to meet the needs and requirement of the national elections. At the heart of the technological innovation which INEC so proudly proclaimed was the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) to accredit voters and uploading of the results from the various Polling Units (PU) to the central Server. It is very doubtful that the failure of the BVAS to upload only the presidential results to the server is a systems glitch, as INEC would want us to believe. The unfortunate effect, is not only the deep mistrust of the independence and unbiased status of INEC but it has by the very singular misstep cast very serious doubts on its ability to deliver to the country, a free, fair and credible election.

“5. We cannot allow our dreams of a new Nigeria where leaders and its institution of governance are accountable to the people to die of administrative oversight and incompetence.

“We call on the Nigerian people and the youths who have endured all forms of intimidation and threats to their lives for the sustenance of democracy in the country to demand that votes must count and call on INEC to show incontrovertible evidence that all the votes uploaded to their server and those held by all the party agents tally.

“We urge the Nigerian people and especially youths to stand in unison to defend the sanctity of their mandate. They must not let their mandate, future and country be taken away from them on account of a convoluted technical sophistry.

“6. We unequivocally request INEC to immediately discontinue the national provocation called “National Collation of Presidential Result”, and retrace her steps back to where the ‘breach of process’ started; which is the real-time transmission of results at the polling units. Nigerians are ready to return to their Polling units to complete the process by certifying that the same results which copy is with every party Agent is uploaded and collated. Alternatively, all political parties can sit with INEC to reconcile the results and upload them accordingly before any national collation and announcements. The present attempt to ‘collate and announce unreconciled results’ – which are products of suspicious process breach will be tantamount to Electoral manipulation, a recipe for chaos and destabilization. Furthermore, adequate security and logistics must be deployed for all the remaining Polling Unit elections, especially for all those areas where non-indigenes were threatened and disenfranchised.

“7. We sincerely thank the teams of International Monitors and Observers, for their presence in our Country at these very important and historic elections. We call on the International Community which they represent to hold INEC accountable for the egregious breaches of the Electoral Law 2022 and any outcomes of the 2023 Presidential Elections in Nigeria.

“We equally urge the international community to engage and put pressure on the Federal Government of Nigeria to protect the mandate of the Nigerian people which was willingly expressed through a democratic electoral process on Saturday, 25 February, 2023. And to ensure full compliance and rectification of any deviation from the electoral process flow.

“We remain unequivocally committed to a Nigerian Federation where justice, equity, fairness and equality is enthroned and where no man no matter his ethnicity, religion or party affiliation is oppressed.

Chief Edwin Clarke, CFR – Leader Pandef

Chief Ayo Adabanjo, CON – Leader Afenifere

Dr. Bitrus Pogu – Leader Middle Belt Forum

Chief Simon Okeke OFR – Representing Ohanaeze Ndigbo

Chief (Dr) Chukwuemeka Ezeife – Chairman Igbo Elders Consultative Forum

Babachir Lawal – Former SGF

Amb. Okey Emutchay – Secretary General Ohanaeze Ndigbo.

“Obasanjo Is Mischievous, A Hypocrite” – Tinubu’s Aide, Alake, Responds to Former President’s Warning On Presidential Election

Adesina Soyooye

February 28, 2023

By Adesina Soyooye

Dele Alake, Special Adviser, Media, Communications and Public Affairs to the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, has responded, in very strong language, to former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s open letter where he decried the shabby conduct of the Presidential Election held on 25th February, 2023.

Following the outcry of not a few Nigerians over the violence, snatching of ballot boxes, disenfranchisement of voters, threats, intimidation, non- transmission of results immediately to the Server as promised, ignoring of the Electoral Act, shortness and/or non availability of voting materials, non-arrival and/or late arrival of voting materials at some Polling Units, alleged brazen manipulation of results as seen in videos, Obasanjo had, in the letter, warned the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, not to set the Country on fire. He asked them to listen to the voice of the people and right the wrongs before it is too late. He, also, urged President Muhammadu Buhari to quickly intervene to difuse the tension building up in the Country by asking INEC to cancel results that emanated from a crooked process and cause new elections to be held.

But the Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Bola Tinubu, whose Party is already claiming victory think the Party and Candidate, are the target of Obasanjo’s warning.

In their response signed by Alake, the APC PCC said at play, in the letter, is Obasanjo’s “mischief and hypocrisy.” They accused the former President of recklessness, and said he was seeking to “endanger and derail Nigeria’s democratic process.”

They reminded Nigerians of Obasanjo’s alleged undemocratic tendencies, and said: “The world has not forgotten his fraudulent and undemocratic attempt at a third term agenda in violation of the letter and spirit of the Nigerian constitution.”

Dismissing the points he raised as nonsense, the statement noted: “Obasanjo repeated, without the slightest iota of evidence, rumours he had picked up that the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System had been compromised and that the results of elections being announced are fraudulent. It is tragic that a former President who ought to be a statesman in comportment and speech will recklessly seek to endanger and derail our democratic process for utterly selfish, egoistic and malicious reasons.

“He offers not a single credible piece of evidence to prove his laughable and ridiculous allegations against INEC and the credibility of the ongoing process.”

Following is the full text of the statement.

“Our attention has been drawn to a press statement by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in which he was virtually calling for a truncation of the ongoing electoral process and a cancellation of already conducted elections on the basis of frivolous, unfounded and baseless allegations by politicians who are sore losers and have no respect for democratic values.

“Obasanjo repeated without the slightest iota of evidence rumours he had picked up that the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System had been compromised and that the results of elections being announced are fraudulent. It is tragic that a former President who ought to be a statesman in comportment and speech will recklessly seek to endanger and derail our democratic process for utterly selfish, egoistic and malicious reasons. He offers not a single credible piece of evidence to prove his laughable and ridiculous allegations against INEC and the credibility of the ongoing process.

“Of course, we are all aware that Obasanjo is not an impartial and disinterested party as far as this election is concerned. On January 1, 2023, he had issued a characteristically lengthy epistle to Nigerians endorsing the candidacy of Mr Peter Obi and asking Nigerian youths to vote en masse for him. Of course our reaction was that the former President was entitled to his view and that the outcome of the elections would demonstrate if he had any electoral value. As fate would have it, Peter Obi was defeated even in Obasanjo’s own polling unit in Abeokuta in Ogun State. But it is now obvious that the only election Obasanjo will agree to being free, fair and credible is one that produces Obi as winner which is ridiculous.

“Is Obasanjo also querying the outcome of the presidential elections in Lagos or Delta where Obi won? If the outcome in Lagos won by Obi is free and credible, on what basis is he querying the outcome of the elections in other places? This is pure mischief and sheer hypocrisy. Obasanjo wants President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene in an undemocratic manner to truncate the ongoing political process just the way he did most shamelessness in the 2003 and 2007 elections widely described as the worst in our political history. Luckily, President Buhari is made of finer and more principled democratic stuff. He will not allow Obasanjo to lure him into tainting his democratic credentials in this regard. We recall that in his last trip to the United States, President Joe Biden praised Buhari ‘s commitment to democratic values and principles. Obasanjo has no such record to be applauded. The world has not forgotten his fraudulent and undemocratic attempt at a third term agenda in violation of the letter and spirit of the Nigerian constitution.

“This is an election in which ASIWAJU Tinubu, for instance, has lost in Lagos state in his South West region while Atiku and Obi have also won elections outside their own regional bases. No true democrat must seek an abortion of the process just because he believes the elections are not going his way. What Obasanjo is subtly calling for in his nefarious statement is a coup against democracy and the constitution. He should be roundly condemned and severely ignored. The constitution has stipulated processes for seeking redress against electoral malpractices in the past and these have been tested several times and used to redress electoral injustice where such has been proven. Nigerians must reject Obasanjo’s dubious and hypocritical advice and stay strictly and firmly on the path of constitutionalism and democratic due process.”

Peter Obi Sues For Peace; Condemns Politically-motivated Attacks In Lagos

The Source

February 28, 2023

The Labour Party (LP) Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi, has condemned, in the strongest terms, the politically-motivated attacks on Monday, February 26, of some citizens in parts of Lagos State because they were believed to have voted for the LP.

These attacks have been meted out to indigenes and non-indigenes alike.

In a statement signed on his behalf by Oseloka Obaze, Deputy Director General/Campaign Manager, Obi described as most regrettable, “that political thugs would single out citizens who exercised their constitutional rights to vote for candidates or parties of their choice.”

He said: “In keeping with its core value of political decorum, the Labour Party thanks its supporters and indeed all Nigerians living in Lagos who have exercised their fundamental rights to vote according to the dictates of their conscience.

“Labour Party is aware of some egregious irregularities in the elections in several states. The party will follow due process and must use constitutional means to address our grievances thus giving peace a chance. It will, however, remain resolute in its mission to change Nigeria, which is after all greater than all of us. We have to protect the peace while defending every vote.

“Governments at all levels must recommit to the constitutional responsibility to protect citizens within their territories regardless of their political leanings.”

We Wish To Place The Following On Record

The Source

February 28, 2023

(PRESS STATEMENT BY LABOUR PARTY PCC)

The President promised Nigerians free and fair elections with the passage of the new Electoral Act and indeed has repeated this promise multiple times.

The INEC Chairman also came before Nigerians and the Global community to promise free and fair elections and severally reiterated its readiness to conduct the elections.

What has become glaring is that none of these promises have been kept. All the promises made about deploying a fail-safe system anchored on BVAS were broken.

The internet and social media is awash with videos and photographic evidences of the pervasive violence and attacks that were visited on Nigerians with some attacks still on-going across the country as we speak.

The evidence of collusion between INEC and the security forces to subvert the will of the people are too numerous to be detailed here.

The INEC guidelines on the conduct of the elections were extensively breached and INEC has evidently been

very reluctant to make the necessary adjustment to remedy the situation.

Contrary to the publicly advertised guidelines for the conduct of the elections, we are convinced that the processes leading to the results have been severely compromised. Consequently, we regret to state that we have lost confidence in the results being collated and being announced.

Nigerians have inundated us with calls and protests over INEC’s non-compliance with provisions of the electoral guidelines and the obvious manipulations of the election results.

We hereby call on INEC to suspend further announcement of the results, and follow its own guidelines or completely cancel the entire election and make plans for another election with strict compliance with the stipulated laws and guidelines.

We ask the international community to walk their talk in Nigeria, and cease to condone the multiple evils being perpetrated in our country by the rulers of Nigeria. There cannot be one standard for Nigeria, and another for the rest of the world.

We thank Nigerians for their support for our candidates, and we assure you all that your mandate shall not be surrendered to a desperate gaggle of failed rulers, who have brought nothing but ruination on our dear country. We urge that Nigerians remain peaceful and law abiding, whilst assured that we are doing everything within the law to protect your sacred mandate.

Thank you, and God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Bashorun Akin Osuntokun DG, Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council

Nigeria Decides: Obasanjo Urges Buhari To Caution INEC Over Irregularities, Calls For Rectification

Akinwale Kasali

February 27, 2023

By Akinwale Kasali

Former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to order the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to address the alleged irregularities in the electoral process, complained of by opposition Parties, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and the Labour Party.

The elder statesman said it is necessary for President Buhari to prevail on the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, to halt the counting of the votes and address the issues raised by the PDP and LP to avoid a breakdown of law and order.

The Peoples Democratic Party and Labour Party have kicked against the process, describing it as compromised.

They also added that the Presidential and National Assembly elections held on Saturday and Sunday which is presently being collated at the International Conference Center, ICC, at the National Collation Centre in Abuja be cancelled.

It would be recalled that a former senator from Kogi West, Dino Melaye, and other party representatives walked out of the Centre after raising issues bordering on irregularities in the process of the election.

Obasanjo, in a personally signed letter titled, “An appeal for caution and rectification,” released on Monday, said some politicians had compromised some electoral officials to make the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System machines not to work.

He said, “I am constrained to speak at this point. I crave the indulgence of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency General Muhammadu Buhari, to make this statement because I have had opportunity to keep him aware of what I know is happening and the danger looming ahead.

“On many occasions in the past, I have not hesitated to point out lacuna in the action of the President and his Government. But as far as the election issues are concerned, the President has proved beyond reasonable doubt that he will want to leave a legacy of free, fair, transparent and credible elections.

“Until last Saturday night, February 25, 2023, the good and noble plan and preparation for the elections seemed to be going well. For the Independent National Electoral Commission, a lot of money was spent to introduce Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), and the server for immediate transmission of results from polling units. It is no secret that INEC officials, at operational levels, have been allegedly compromised to make what should have worked not to work and to revert to manual transmission of results which is manipulated and the results doctored.

“The Chairman of INEC may claim ignorance, but he cannot fold his hands and do nothing when he knows that election process has been corrupted and most of the results that are brought outside BVAS and server are not a true reflection of the will of Nigerians who have made their individual choice. At this stage, we do not need wittingly or unwittingly to set this country on fire with the greed, irresponsibility and unpatriotic act of those who allegedly gave money to INEC officials for perversion and those who collected the blood money.

“Let me appeal to the Chairman of INEC, if his hands are clean, to save Nigeria from the looming danger and disaster which is just waiting to happen. If the Chairman can postpone elections four days to the election, he can do everything to rectify the errors of the last two days – no BVAS, no result to be acceptable; and no uploading through Server, no result to be acceptable.

“Whereas, BVAS and Servers have been manipulated or rendered inactive, such results must be declared void and inadmissible for election declaration. Chairman INEC, I had thought that you would use this wonderful opportunity to mend your reputation and character for posterity.

“Your Excellency, President Buhari Muhammadu, tension is building up and please, let all elections that do not pass the credibility and transparency test be cancelled and be brought back with areas where elections were disrupted for next Saturday, March 4, 2023, and BVAS and Server officials be changed. To know which stations or polling units were manipulated, let a committee of INEC staff and representatives of the four major political parties with the Chairman of Nigerian Bar Association look into what must be done to have hitch-free elections next Saturday.

“Mr. President, may your plan and hope for leaving a legacy of free, fair, transparent and credible election be realised. Mr. President, please don’t let anybody say to you that it does not matter or it is the problem of INEC. On no account should you be seen as part of the collusion or compromise. When the die is cast, it will be your problem as the Chief Executive of the nation. The Chairman of INEC may sneak out of the country or go back to his Ivory Tower. Your Excellency, thank you for hearing me out.

“Compatriot Nigerians, please exercise patience until the wrong is righted. I strongly believe that nobody will toy with the future and fortune of Nigeria at this juncture.”

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