Victor EzejaLabour Party has called for the immediate dismissal of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, over the way he handled the 2023 general elections.
The party also demanded a thorough probe of how the electoral body managed the N300 billion approved by the Federal Government and other funds and materials received from international donor agencies for the elections.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThe party made the call at a press conference addressed by the Director General Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Organisation, Balogun Akin Osuntokun.
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Osuntokun said the final reports presented by various election observer groups have proven that the 2023 polls were heavily compromised.
He said the election observer groups both locally and internationally, deserve commendation for their courage, diligence and forthrightness in engaging with all processes in the last election and dispassionately presenting what happened despite violence, manipulation, intimidation and other forms of irregularities in polls.
Some of the groups accredited to observe election include the Nigerian Civil Society Situation Room, the United States National Democratic Institute (NDI)- & International Republican Institute (IRI), Joint International Election Observer Mission, the European Union Election Observer Mission, Commonwealth Observer Group, the African Union (AU) and, ECOWAS among other regional and local Observers.
The Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign DG noted that the independent reports of the observer groups were consistent in exposing the irregularities that occurred during the election and cannot be overlooked.
He said: “Their doggedness in field engagement, despite the onslaught of violence, inducement, manipulation and all manner of evil, as witnessed in the elections, will serve not only as an unbiased record of the tragic events, but as motivation for its logical conclusion and inevitable resolution, according to the will of the people.
“In critically and broadly examining the independent reports of the various Observer missions, the consistency in their experiences and exposition, cannot be overlooked, as each and every Observer group, underlined the fact, that the elections fell short of citizens expectations, legal regulations and moral and international standards.”
While highlighting details of issues raised in the reports of the observer groups, Osuntokun condemned the protestations and narratives being made by supporters of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and president Bola Tinubu to counter the reports, especially the recent European Union Election Observer Mission (EU-EOM) report.
Recently, APC loyalists staged a protest at the premises of the EU office in Abuja against the report presented by the EU-EOM Chief Observer, Barry Andrews.
The accused the international group of interfering with the internal affairs of th country.
INEC also rejected the EU report and others that were critical of its conduct of the election.
Osuntokun wondered why INEC and the ruling party should resort to rejecting the reports of the independent groups that were accredited to observe the elections, even with their heavy investment of time and resources, with the expectation of a free, fair and credible poll.
“I have gone into detail, in highlighting the consistency in the observations of different independent Observer groups, and the severity of their condemnation of the election process, because of recent mischievous attempts to discountenance the uniformity of all reports, on the level of manipulation and illegality executed at the last elections,” Osuntokun stated.
“The Labour Party and the Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Organisation condemn vehemently, the negative and jaundiced responses on the EU Report and other Election Observers’ reports, by the Spokesperson of APC administration and other ill-informed persons, which are totally in discord, with the mood of the nation, at this time, and which also, present an embarrassing contrast, to their selective celebration of the 2019 Election reports, from these same Observer groups.
“We advice that those who have deployed hired ‘protesters’ to the offices of the EU, in respect of their election report, desist from any further wastage of public funds, as the objective of intimidation is without basis, and has failed, from the beginning – because indeed, the irregularities in the election, were so excessively glaring, with bitter personal and reported experiences, by the overwhelming majority of Nigerians.
“The EU Election Observation Mission, as well as the Civil Society Situation Room, NDI -IRI, YIAGA etc are all INEC accredited observer groups, as well as very credible and long standing international and local stakeholders, in the Nigeria democratic process, whose reports are an essential contribution towards strengthening Nigeria’s democracy.
“We would like to point Nigerians, to the fact, that the EU Observer group report, is in tandem with the reports of other international and domestic observers, duly accredited by INEC, and also in tandem, with public opinion and the experience of the majority of Nigerian citizens, who participated in, or observed the 2023 general elections.”
He further stated that having concluded the hearing stage at the Presidential Election Petition Court in Abuja, Nigerian people and the international community are watching with keen interest the outcome of the judicial process looking at the evidences presented and that of reports of the observer groups.
He said all eyes are on the judiciary with the hope that the institution as the bastion of democracy would redress the errors committed during the polls.
“At this juncture, there is no doubt that Nigerians and the International Community expect the Judiciary, to critically examine the evidence, the law, and the processes of these flawed elections, in arriving at a legally correct, and overwhelmingly acknowledgeable verdict.”
He called on Nigerians to remain faithful in the legal process and patiently and peacefully wait for the final resolution.
While commending the international community and civil society groups for their continued support in consolidating democracy in the country, Osuntokun called on the international community to “take immediate and appropriate punitive action” against the INEC chairman, and other top administrative and field staff and of the electoral body “directly complicit in the desecration of the elections.”
“We also demand unequivocally, the immediate dismissal from Office and prosecution of Prof Mahmud Yakubu, and the commencement of forensic financial investigation, into the expenditure of budgeted disbursements and Donors’ funds received by INEC, not least of which is the N300 billion appropriated from the National purse, as well as other funds and materials, received from International Donor Agencies,” he added.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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