Group flays INEC over election results, urges Nigerians to demand justice
A polling station official marks a voter’s finger with a marker pen before he casts a ballot at a polling station in Ibadan on February 25, 2023, during Nigeria’s presidential and general election. (Photo by Samuel Alabi / AFP)
A Civil Society group, Elites for Good Society Initiatives (EGSI), has flayed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the outcome of February 25 Presidential and National Assembly elections.
The group said that majority of declarations made by the Commission after the poll and its other actions were fluke and “nothing short of robbery on the Nigerian people.”
In a statement signed by the group’s president, King Evans, EGSI accused INEC of colluding with desperate politicians to subvert the will of Nigerian people.
It described alleged INEC’s fraudulent and undemocratic actions as betrayal of the trust Nigerians had placed on the institution after it had promised free, fair and credible 2023 elections.
The statement reads in part: “The result announced by INEC is corrupted, flawed, and fraudulent, and we must not allow it stand. We also call on the international community to intervene, and put pressure on INEC to do the right thing.
“The potential fallout from this corrupt act is enormous and could lead to unnecessary chaos and loss of lives. We cannot afford to let this happen.
“We also urge the international community to condemn the flagrant disregard for the rule of law and criminal behaviour displayed during Nigeria’s recent election.
“We recommend that Chairman of INEC, Mahmood Yakubu, be barred from entering Europe, the United Kingdom, and United States. We expect that strict sanctions be imposed on Nigerian politicians, who were complicit in this heinous act of undermining our democracy.
“Nigerians must stand up now and fight for what is right. We must not allow corrupt politicians and institutions destroy our democracy. It is time to take our destiny into our own hands and demand a better future for our children and ourselves. We either stand up now or we all perish together.”
