* From left: Chief Martin Onovo, Eze Eluchie, Elijah Ajana-Ojo and Gaius Aham at the Press Conference held at Airport Hotel, Ikeja A gro...
* From left: Chief Martin Onovo, Eze Eluchie, Elijah Ajana-Ojo and Gaius Aham at the Press Conference held at Airport Hotel, Ikeja
A group, Democracy Protection Coalition (DPC) yesterday called for the resignation of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mr. Mahmood Yakubu.
DPC convener, Eze Eluchie claimed that the people's confidence, trust and belief in the electoral system have been irrevocably eroded as a result of the outcome of the February 25 Presidential and National Assembly elections from which All Progressive Congress (APC) candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu emerged the winner and declared the President-elect.
* INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu
Eluchie stated this at a press conference held at the Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja. Others at the press conference include Chief Martin Onovo of SUPA Nigeria, Elijah Ajanu-Ojo of the Ideal Society Movement and Gaius Aham of the Movement for Fundamental Change (MFC).
To avoid tainting the sanctity and integrity of the Gubernatorial and House of Assembly elections, the DPC Covener asked the INEC Chairman, 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 events 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, he urged Nigerians to demand for the exit from office of the INEC Chairman who he accused of displaying “gross incompetence, lack of capacity and a penchant to be deceptive and dubious in the discharge of the highly sensitive functions of Chairman, INEC.”
Eluchie referred to the case of the Doduwa/Tudun Wada Federal Constituency of Kano State, where he claimed that INEC reversed its earlier declaration of the current Leader of the House of Representatives, Ado Doguwa, as winner of the elections.
He said INEC should likewise correct what he termed “its wrongful declaration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the APC as winner of the 2023 presidential elections.
“Sequel to the admission of the INEC Chairman that several INEC staff and some politicians colluded to compromise the electoral process, we call 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”, he said.
Eluchie said the passage of the Electoral Act 2022 and the assurances by INEC, through its Chairman and other officials, for the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines and Machine readable Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs), encouraged various Chief Security Officers (CSOs) to undertake extensive grassroots outreach campaigns towards ensuring that Nigerian in their millions, become involved in the political process by registering to vote, belonging to political parties and aspiring to political offices at various strata of governance.
He referred to various undertakings and repeated assurances of the commission’s leadership for free, fair and transparent elections with the promise of real time transmission of votes from the Polling Units to a national database/repository of votes, the INEC Results Viewing (IReV) Portal, CSOs across Nigeria swung into action to ensure maximum grassroots buy-in into the democracy project and space.
He also referred to some comments from INEC officials which he said served to encourage CSOs to take up the challenge of deepening interest in democratic process amongst the populace include the following: “We have piloted the transmission of results in 105 constituencies nationwide, including major governorship elections held in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun States.
Eluchie referred further INEC Chairman’s interview with the BBC where he reportedly said: “We cannot, under any circumstances, go back in the use of BVAS for the purpose of voter accreditation and we can’t also go back on the issue of transmitting polling unit level results into our INEC result viewing portal.
These two mechanisms and protocols are sacrosanct and the commission is committed to using them during the 2023 general election.
Others are: ”Festus Okoye @ https://www.thecable.ng/inec-no-going-back-on-use-of-bvas-for-2023-electionsINEC Press Release titled: “Alleged plot to abandon the transmission of polling Unit results to the IReV Portal” dated Friday, 11th February 2021, INEC’s National Commissioner and its Chairman for its Information and Voter Education Committee, had deceptively and dubiously asserted as follows in response to allegations that the BVAS was a mere ruse/drainpipe:“The claim is patently false.
He said the commission has repeatedly reassured Nigerians that it will transmit results directly from polling Units as witnessed in Ekiti and Osun State Governorship elections and in 103 more constituencies where off-circle Governorship/FCT Area Council elections and bye-elections were held since August 2020…the public is advised to ignore the report.
"The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and IReV have come to stay for voter accreditation and uploading of Polling Unit results in real time in Nigeria”
He argued: “when one juxtaposes the undertakings severally made by INEC officials prior to the elections of 25th February 2023, and the reality that the said elections were totally devoid of the promised advancements in electronic and technological processes, it becomes clear that the INEC leadership had perfected a plot to hoodwink and deceive Nigerians and the International Election Observer Missions and others interested in the transition and democratization process in Nigeria, that a foolproof electoral system had been put in place, whilst in reality, the leadership of INEC had mapped out crude and most audacious plans for disenfranchisement of millions of Nigerians and a scheme that would ensure that the votes cast are not only not counted, but totally disregarded.”
He said the long term effect of the electoral heist perpetuated by the Mahmood Yakubu-led INEC on Nigerians on 25th February 2023, if not addressed as a matter of national emergency, would deny the country of its most productive and virile age-bracket in its political space; and Entrench perception that crime pays - disincentive to good governance/good citizenship.
He said the INEC Chairman has lost the confidence of the CSOs regarding his ability to continue as an impartial umpire in the electoral process.
“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.
“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, haven been irrevocably eroded, the INEC Chair, Yakubu, should immediately, resign his position as Chairman of INEC”, he said.
He said INEC should 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, 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 noting that these results are already within the purview of INEC and the political parties.
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