Conscience of Yoruba Nation on Tuesday berated former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo and General Abdulsalam Abubakar over call for the cancellation of the 2023 Presidential election.
Recall that Obasanjo on February 27, 2023 called for the cancellation of some election results that failed credibility and
transparency tests.
Former Head of State and Chairman of National Peace Committee, Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar also challenged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to pay attention to irregularities and malpractices that allegedly characterised the 2023 president election.
But a statement by the Director General of Conscience of Yoruba Nation, Abagun Kole Omololu said statements of the two elder statesmen were disappointing particularly at a time when Nigerians home and in diaspora are anxiously awaiting the outcome of the process which different foreign observation missions have relatively adjudged credible and transparent.
He described Obasanjo and Abdulsalam statements as call for undue interference in the constitutional responsibilities of the INEC.
According to him, under the 1999 Constitution and 2022 Electoral Act, the election process is clear because the laws give INEC the exclusive power to perform its functions without interference from any person, institution or any arm of government.
He said, “INEC was still preoccupied with its responsibilities when Obasanjo called for the cancellation of the process. We seriously take exception to this position, which we strongly believe, is antithetical to the peripheral, strategic and vital interests of Nigeria.
“It is on record that Obasanjo conducted the election that produced former President Umaru Yar’Adua in 2007. The process was then adjudged the worst election in the recent history of Nigeria. President Muhammadu Buhari, who then contested the election on the platform of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party, was a victim of that process.
“He never cancelled the process even when it suffered all the yardsticks of a credible and transparent process.
“Contrarily, international observers are witnesses to the ongoing process. For instance, Commonwealth Observer Group under the chairmanship of former South African President Thabo Mbeki has rated it “largely peaceful” despite administrative and logistics hurdles at many polling units. Likewise, ECOWAS Observation Mission described the elections as generally peaceful and transparent.
“As observed in the election results declared, the use of the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System has brought credibility into the process. With BVAS, APC lost Lagos, the home state of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to LP. Nobody complained about it. With BVAS,
APC also lost Katsina, the home of President Muhammadu Buhari, to PDP. For them, it is all well.
“What else does Obasanjo want? He is partisan in this process. He endorsed the
presidential candidate of Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi. He, therefore, lacks moral authority to provide guidance for the electoral regulatory institution. If his candidate loses the election, he should accept in good faith and join hands with the new president-elect to move Nigeria forward.
“The collation of election results is still ongoing. INEC should be allowed, even
encouraged, to continue with the process. We, therefore, stand by INEC to conclude the process in line with its mandate. We also challenge the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu to declare any candidate that satisfies the requirements of the 1999 Constitution winner of the process to avoid another June 12 dilemma or any political contradiction that can truncate our democracy.
“Even though the process is not entirely credible, the solution is not to throw away the baby with bath’s water. Rather than resorting to extra-legal measures that can lead us to
the regrettable path of people’s aborted mandate as witnessed after the June 12, 1993 election.”
Omololu however urged any aggrieved candidate to seek redress in the Election Petition Tribunal in line with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution and 2022 Electoral Act.
