Peter Okoye, PBA Journalism MenteeNigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to refrain from any action capable of depriving Nigerians the leadership they chose with their votes.
NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, made the call in a statement released on Sunday.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelComrade Ajaero lamented the inability of INEC to conduct free, fair and credible elections despite its several assurances to the public and the huge resources invested in the commission.
He said that instead of the situation getting better, it became worst.
He accused INEC of collaborating with some political parties and security agencies to subvert the will of the people as demonstrated by their votes.
“Use of thugs in Rivers State and in Lagos to mete out violence and intimidate voters in these states run counter to the tenets and practice of Democracy. The case of the now dishonourable member of the federal house of representatives from Rivers State captured on tape calling for the killing of certain people is not only abhorrent but is a recipe for further violence in our Polity.
“The threats as captured by MC Oluomo of the Parks and Garages in Lagos State warning certain voters to stay away from the Polling centres across the state violates decency and negates the principle of democratic engagement,” Ajaero stated.
The NLC president pointed out the issues of harassment of voters, ballot box snatching, bloodletting and wilful destruction of election materials as reported in some states, especially Lagos and Rivers states as proof of INEC’s collusion to alter the election against the will of the people and called for urgent investigation and action to reassure the public their safety as they go out to vote.
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Ajaero also called on the Lagos Resident Election Commissioner (REC) and other top electoral officials to ensure that the results are not manipulated the results, adding that Nigerians won’t accept any results transmitted through the BVAS machines to the INEC central server different from the results that played out at the polling units.
He further expressed his disappointment over what he described as flimsy excuses of INEC for not being able to distribute materials on time and refusal to upload results from polling units to the INEC database, adding that it was a calculated attempt to rig the elections and demanded an investigation into the action.
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“We feel embarrassed about the explanation of INEC that materials arrived late in some areas because of the distance between the localities and the storage centres. We know that Polling Units located very close to such centres were also heavily affected by INEC’s tardiness and apparent refusal to make them available as required.
“We demand that INEC investigates the activities of one of its officials in the ICT department who may have been responsible for technically jamming the airwaves making it difficult for BVAS results to be transmitted to the Servers. He was a former Commissioner in Lagos State and his name is Femi Odubuyi,” Ajaero alleged.
NLC Boss also called on all Nigerian workers and citizens to be on alert to protect the nation from the hands of those who have inflicted the current suffering on them and want to subvert the collective will of the people as expressed in different polling units. He further reminded Nigerians that it is their civic responsibility to protect democracy and indeed the nation.
He urged the Military and Police to ensure the sanctity of the ballot and also protect the lives of the citizenry who they swore to protect with their arms which he described as not only their constitutional duties both also their moral obligations.
Ajaero also appealed to President Muhammed Buhari to rise to the occasion and call the electoral umpire (INEC) to order.
“We call on the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency Muhammed Buhari to rise to the occasion and call the electoral umpire(INEC) to order. The President ought to seize the redemptive power in this situation and demand that INEC returns to the Rule book for election conduct. It is only by doing this that he will reassure Nigerians of his innocence in this unfolding drama”, he said.
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