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Yakubu must not be allowed to conduct governorship polls, he’s too tainted – CSOs
Nothing short of the immediate removal of Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), would assuage members of Democracy Protection Coalition (DPC), a group of pro-democracy advocates.
The group insist that Yakubu must not be allowed to conduct the March 18 governorship and Houses of Assembly elections, citing his dismal performance in the February 25 presidential election, for which two major political parties, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP) are already in court to challenge the outcome. Eze Eluchie, Convener, told reporters in Lagos that the immediate resignation of the INEC boss was necessary in order for him not to erode the people’s confidence in the remaining elections, insisting if the INEC boss failed to resign, the INEC Board should sit and suspend him in the manner it did with the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Sokoto State was suspended.
His words: “In view of his lack of remorse in the face of deliberate flagrant nonconformity with the Electoral Act and INEC’s Regulations for Elections regarding the BVAS machines; deliberate falsehoods and lies to Nigerians regarding the sanctity of the electoral process; and audacious display of impudence against Nigerians and Nigeria; the INEC Chairman, Mr. Mahmood Yakubu, has lost the confidence of Nigerians and Civil Society regarding his ability to continue as an impartial umpire in the electoral process.
“Considering that people’s confidence, trust and belief in the electoral system and electoral umpires is an integral component of elections, and that such confidence, trust and belief in INEC and its current Chairman, having been irrevocably eroded, the INEC Chair, Mr. Yakubu, should immediately, resign his position as Chairman of INEC.
“To avoid further tainting the sanctity and integrity of the Gubernatorial and House of Assembly elections, Mr. Mahmood Yakubu should totally forthwith recuse himself from participating in any manner whatsoever, in the processes and administration of the forthcoming Gubernatorial and State Houses of Assembly elections.
“In the event of Mr. Yakubu’s failure to resign from office of his own accord, efforts should be harnessed by the INEC Board to, in a manner similar to how the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner for Sokoto State was suspended, likewise suspend Mr. Yakubu from office until further notice, by which time the manipulations and untoward actions of the said Mr. Yakubu would have been addressed and rectified. Alternatively, the people of Nigeria in whom ultimately power resides, should rise and effectively demand the exit from office of this INEC Chairman who has displayed gross incompetence, lack of capacity and a penchant to be deceptive and dubious in the discharge of the highly sensitive functions of Chairman, INEC.
“In the light of its alleged ‘collapse’, compromise and failure of the BVAS machine process and systems in the course of the 25th February elections, to collate and declare the results of the said elections by the summation of Polling Unit results from each of the polling units across the country.
“These results are already within the purview of INEC and the political parties. The mostly grossly distorted, mutilated and concocted documents belatedly uploaded unto the INEC IReV, days after the elections were held, should be discountenanced as manipulation of desperate politicians. In line with its self-correction of errors it made in other elections, such as with regards to the case of the Doduwa/Tudun Wada Federal Constituency of Kano State, where INEC reversed its earlier declaration of the current Leader of the House of Representatives (Mr. Ado Doguwa) as winner of the House of Representative elections, INEC should likewise correct the monumental error of historical proportions it has committed by its wrongful declaration of a non-winner, Mr. Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressive Congress (APC), as winner of the 2023 presidential elections. INEC may rightly say, as it has already stated in the Doduwa/Tudunwada Federal Constituency elections, that it had made that declaration either under duress or under false pretenses.
“DPC sequel to the admission of the INEC Chairman that several INEC staff and some politicians colluded to compromise the electoral process, calls upon the law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies to, as a matter of urgency, apprehend, investigate and prosecute all individuals and entities, irrespective of position occupied inclusive of the INEC Chairman, who/which participated in thwarting the elections held on the 25th of February 2023.
“Considering the high number of security personnel (soldiers, the Police and other security agencies) who participated in election related crimes, such as snatching and destruction of election materials including ballot papers, a Judicial Panel of Inquiry should be instituted to inquire into and gauge the involvement of security personnel in election-related offences with the view of ascertaining if such security personnel involvement was as a result of systemic, hierarchical and institutionalized interventions or ad-hoc and unrelated malfeasance perpetuated by individual security personnel and their cohorts.
“Whilst applauding the various domestic, regional and international election observers (inclusive of International Observer Missions from the Africa Union, ECOWAS, European Union, Commonwealth Secretariat, and the United States) for rightly stating that the 25th February elections fell far, far short of domestic and international standards, and even the standards INEC had set for itself, we call on all friends of Nigeria to be on the side of the Nigerian people by impressing on INEC and State authorities, the importance of allowing the will of the people freely expressed via the ballot box, to be upheld. The various Observer Missions should impress it upon their principals that condemnation and effectively ostracizing characters who seek to attain political power via stealing votes, nips in the bud the need to condemn violent and unconstitutional putsches.”
The Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi says he is aware of some evil designs against himself and his supporters in the coming months.
The former Anambra State governor disclosed this in a statement released on his verified Twitter handle on Monday, May 29, 2023.
The release of the statement coincided with the inauguration of Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as Nigeria’s President at the Eagle Square in Abuja.
I am aware of some evil designs being hatched against me and my supporters in the coming months. Efforts will be made to taint my image. Campaigns of calumny are being perfected to defame my character and diminish my hard-earned integrity.
— Peter Obi (@PeterObi) May 28, 2023
See full statement:
For all Nigerians, this is a time for deep reflection. It is also a time to re-examine our assumptions, even as we reaffirm our hopes. Let us calmly review our aspirations, in order to recalibrate our expectations and pin down the causes of our missed opportunities and disappointments.
We stand at that critical moment in time when, as a people, we must collectively come to grips with the reality of our injured destiny as well as the reasons for that injury. It is for us to reassess our plight as a young democracy and identify clear pathways to a better and greater future for us all. As we await the verdict of the election tribunal, I urge all Nigerians to use this opportunity to renew their commitment to the Nigerian ideal. That ideal remains noble and worth every sacrifice we can make.
Nigeria remains our only patrimony and it is a patrimony we must protect, rather than violate. We have no other nation but this, so let us remain committed to rescuing and rebuilding it.
The judiciary is part of the democratic enterprise and a critical governance tool for determining the propriety of the decisions and actions of every citizen and every institution of state. To that extent, and for that reason, I urge everyone to treat it with the respect and dignity it deserves.
We expect that the Nigerian judiciary will use the election cases now before it to reaffirm its independence and integrity. It has to do so, for all our sakes and for itself.
Nigerians must, therefore, remain peaceful and law abiding. No matter the depth of anyone’s reservations about what is going on in the polity today, no matter the real and imagined provocations, and no matter the disagreement out there, we should remember that this will not last forever.
I remain committed, and untiring, in my determination to work with like-minded fellow Nigerians to end the curse of missed opportunities and squandered hope that has become our lot here.
I will never shrink from that original commitment, because I firmly believe that we must change from the present politics of criminality, and corruption, in order to make a new Nigeria possible.
I call on fellow Nigerians, especially the youths to remain steadfast, calm, patient, and peaceful. Our journey may be long and difficult but it is worth it in every way. Victory is assured.
We have to work together to move our beautiful country from corruption and criminality to a center of productivity rather than aimless consumption.
I am aware of some evil designs being hatched against me and my supporters in the coming months. Efforts will be made to taint my image. Campaigns of calumny are being perfected to defame my character and diminish my hard-earned integrity.
These schemes will aim at degrading our support base and confusing the public. But, no evil campaign will alter the substance of my character; nor diminish my patriotic commitment to a better Nigeria. It is about the future of our youths. it is about ending the Years of Locust.
In all of this, I thank Nigerians, our great party (LP) and the media. The latter, as the Fourth Estate of the realm, has remained a trusted ally.
This Estate must continue to guide our people on the immense promise of a future in a new Nigeria.
God bless Nigeria and protect the troops keeping us safe in this season of vaulting insecurity.
Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria. –PO
Channels
James Faleke, lawmaker and Secretary of the now defunct All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council (APC-PCC), has revealed that President Bola Tinubu would unveil members of his cabinet within 60 days.
Channels Television, which quoted him as saying on Monday, at the inauguration of of Tinubu and Kashim Shettima as president and vice-president of Nigeria was underway at the Eagle Square in Abuja, said the President, would , unveil his cabinet as soon as possible.
Faleke, who promised that the new President would bring a different approach to power, was quoted as saying: “Of course, within 60 days, that’s what the law says. He can announce anytime but I just know he must do it within 60 days.”
Eradication of terrorism, waging war against corruption and battling the crippling poverty in Nigeria, would form the fulcrum of a new Nigeria President Bola Tinubu, says he would strive to put in place as his new government began hours ago after assuming the reins of power as the 16th President, after Muhammadu Buhari handed over to him at an elaborate ceremony at the Eagle Square, Abuja, on Monday.
Vowing to defend Nigeria from all forms of terror, as well as end extreme poverty in the country, Tinubu, told Nigerians: “I will do that through job creation and food security and end to extreme poverty. I will ensure that corruption is tacked by strenghtening anti-corruption agencies.”
He also promised that his administration would discourage corruption through the introduction of a credit culture, stating: “Our government will continue to take proactive steps such as championing a credit culture to discourage corruption while strengthening the effectiveness and efficiency of the various anti-corruption agencies.”
It was also on a day the President, who had during his presidential campaigns, promised Nigerians that he would remove subsidy on petroleum products, made good his words by announcing suspension on them, adding that the era of payments on fuel was gone, as the 2023 Budget made no provision for fuel subsidy “and more so, subsidy payment is no longer justifiable.”
Obi to Nigerians: Don’t be despaired, your mandate won’t be lost
Tinubu will unveil Ministers in two months *He’ll be different – Faleke
Tinubu: My stand on corruption, insecurity *How I’ll banish poverty in Nigeria
In the military, INEC boss and his team would be executed – Bode George *Why put Tinubu’s boy in charge of IT?
I’ve paid a price for joining Obi to rescue Nigeria – Datti-Ahmed *Weeps on TV
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