Following the postponement of the governorship and State House of Assembly elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) has berated the commission over the decision .
In a press statement on Saturday signed by Ken Robinson, the National Publicity Secretary of PANDEF, the socio-political organisation stated that the manner in which INEC postponed the governorship and State House of Assembly elections earlier scheduled for March 11, soon after securing the court’s approval, last Wednesday, to reconfigure its Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices, has raised doubts about the commission’s sincerity and honesty of purpose in the electoral process.
The statement reads, “It was less than 72 hours to the scheduled governorship and State Assembly elections before the Court of Appeal, Abuja, granted INEC the relieve they sought, on the grounds that if not given they won’t be able to hold the elections and they gave the impression that the elections would hold as was scheduled, but after the judgment, they suddenly shifted the elections; this has created room for more misgiving.
“Recall that various reputable organisations, both local and international, have scored the performance of INEC in the February 25, 2023 presidential and National Assembly elections as “far below expectations,” PANDEF stated.
The organisation stated that reports of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) defects, INEC’s failure to promptly upload results to its portal from the various polling units across the country, with excuses of technical glitches, undermined the outcome of the electoral process.
PANDEF maintained that the occurrences are totally unacceptable, particularly, given the repeated assurances of President Muhammadu Buhari and INEC of free, fair and credible elections; though the same election has resulted in a National Assembly that somewhat reflects the new political outlook of the country.
“Accordingly, with the huge amount of taxpayers’ money that was disposed to the process, the chairman of INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, should be personally held responsible for the observed lapses and inconsistencies.
“The Forum’s preferred candidate in the presidential election, His Excellency, Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) has also expressed dissatisfaction with the results declared by INEC and is already in court, and we shall, therefore, withhold further comments on the subject matter, until a final decision is made by the courts,” PANDEF said.
PANDEF added, “We urge all who are dissatisfied with the outcome of the February 25 election to seek judicial redress and not take laws into their hands, in order not to exacerbate tension in the country.
“We hope that the courts will dispense justice without fear or favour. Nigeria is greater than any individual or group.
“It is pertinent to demand that INEC should reassure Nigerians of its readiness to ensure that the lapses and inconsistencies observed during the February 25 election will not reoccur in the governorship and State Assembly elections, now shifted to Saturday, March 18, 2023,” PANDEF stated.
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