HURIWA seeks cancellation of Ekiti election, alleges irregularities

A pro-democracy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has called for the cancellation of last Saturday’s governorship poll in the state.

A joint statement by the HURIWA National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, and the National Media Affairs Director, Miss Zainab Yusuf, disclosed this yesterday.

The group said the cancellation became necessary due to the overwhelming evidence of monetary inducements, and the failure of the electoral body to stop the act.

HURIWA warned the ‘compromised hierarchy’ of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), led by Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, to thread softly ahead of 2019 elections.

According to the group, if the heavily compromised security chiefs are left intact to oversee the 2019 general election, the national security may be endangered, even as votes buying may ignite wide- spread riots.

HURIWA also accused INEC of failing to issue Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) to millions of people who registered for the election.

It warned of grave danger, capable of plunging the country into war, if the Ekiti example of ‘seeing and buying’ of votes done by the APC was replicated across Nigeria

“The legitimacy of the Ekiti governorship election was vitiated by widespread irregularities, characterised by open votes buying by political parties. It was a case of the highest bidder getting the highest number of choreographed votes.

“The conduct of the electoral panel and the security forces during the election could at best be described as treasonable and vexatious,” the group said.

It enjoined the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prof. Kolapo Olusola, who was robbed in a daylight robbery, to proceed to the election tribunal immediately.