July 26, (THEWILL) – A sociopolitical group, Global Initiatives for Good Governance (GIGG) has advised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to emulate what JAMB did in the case of Messoma, to prove to Nigerians that it is still capable of conducting elections without malpractices
The group also called for the resignation of the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu, noting that Nigeria’s democracy is fast collapsing while the actors and masterminds of election malpractice remain unpunished.
The call is coming following INEC lawyers’ final reports and acceptance showing that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won in 21 States of the Federation.
In an official statement issued on Monday, signed by the Coordinator, Global Initiatives for Good Governance, Chief Emeka Kalu, the group alleged that Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu intentionally favoured a particular party.
It stated: “Following the INEC lawyers’ final reports and acceptance that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party won in 21 States of the Federation, it is pertinent that Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu intentionally falsified presidential election results in favour of the All Progressives Congress to have declared Ahmed Bola Tinubu the winner.”
The group, in the statement, also insisted that the INEC Chairman should immediately resign his office and tender an unreserved apology to Nigerians, adding that “It is a bad precedent for the nation to be subjected to continued election fraud, which in turn, derails our democratic values.”
The political group further argued that for INEC lawyers to have failed to counter the fact that PDP won in 21 States confirms that Atiku Abubakar and Nigerians were robbed of their hard-earned votes in favour of the APC.
Lamenting that Nigeria is economically bleeding due to the poor managerial capacity of the immediate past administration, the group maintained that INEC, out of cupidity, doctored election results against the will and interest of the people.
“How would the nation be freed from this level of malady when those entrusted with the mandate of piloting the affairs of the government aid and abet corruption and injustice? Mahmoud Yabuku has no reason to further remain in office and let the stolen mandate be restored so that the rightful winner in law will take over the leadership of the nation.
“The citizens undergo hardship of all sorts in the hands of clueless leaders while one who is of the capacity to transform things is being neglected and denied access to what he actually qualifies to handle,” the group stated
It added that even though INEC took billions of Naira as budget to conduct the 2023 general elections, in the end, the institution disappointed the people and the world at large, a testimony that the European Union still holds to her chest.
Janefrances Ebere Chibuzor is a Tourism Writer at THEWILL
