#NigeriaElections2023: NACOPPIN calls for immediate suspension of INEC Chairman
Very early on Sunday, February 26, 2023, at about 2am, NACOPPIN, the National Coalition of Political Parties in Nigeria, comprising former Presidential Aspirants, and Party members, called for emergency measures by INEC to avert the 2015 experience/history, where INEC suspended Presidential election collations, for 12 hours, and upon resumption the tide of the results turned against the winning incumbent, at the time. We insisted that it was sinister to begin, stop and then totally change the direction of the collation process or it’s result: flexible use of INEC senior Officials, was sufficiently possible, to continue the exercise to successful conclusion. In the event of any no-shows on the part of INEC Collation personnel, or materials, that would warrant a plausible delay caused by
the absence of very critical data, then a short delay would be accepted. But our fears was that a repeat of same dereliction in 2023 would indeed be more grave. In the last 24 hours, that deja vu we warned against, has been unwindingly repeated and tragic. Violence against voters of a specific ethnic group, hijack of electoral materials, denial of BVAS passwords to electoral officials, burning of election results completed and submitted in BVAS machines, in several States, Polling Units, Wards and cities: these atrocities have been collaborated by assigned Polling Agents and thousands of other honest citizens. Our appeal to INEC same date, to ensure that the acts of 2015, were not repeated, fell on deaf ears.
Rather more sordid events , such as the deliberate refusal to provide Polling Unit Officers, PUOs, the passwords to BVAS equipments, to enable transmission or uploading of actual data of cast votes to wards, onwards to the States, and finally to the Abuja National Collation Centre have been orchestrated.
CONSEQUENCES OF NOT UPLOADING ELECTION RESULTS
Whereas violent acts of attacking opposing supporters of competing parties, were detectable, the denial of revealing BVAS passwords to PUs was unknown to anyone. The alternative analogue way of manual transmission of election results, defeated the provisions of the 2022 Electoral Act, Section 60.2. guaranteeing “that the uploading of election results will ensure the integrity of the vote, and its timeous , real time delivery to the National Collation Centre “. Chances of altering and changing duly endorsed results of cast votes by the electorate, would as a matter of fact, be eliminated. Apart from speed and veracity, the Law envisaged that the BVAS would bring acceptability and credibility of the election, to be of the highest internationally accepted standards. Of the already released 8 Presidential election results, today February 27, 2023, only half of the results from PUs were uploaded, while the remaining were delivered manually from the PUs, to the ward, LGA, and State, onward to the National Collation Center. Reports of scores of alterations to hand-written and submitted votes, using unacceptable manual modes, have affected public perception of the work of INEC and the credibility/legality of the work of INEC.
PUBLIC ASSURANCES OF HIGH QUALITY OF BVAS & IREVs
Queries from the public on the efficacy and dependability of the new IT equipment, BVAS & IREVs, had been followed by multiple assurances from the INEC Chairman, Mahmoud Yakubu, and the National Commissioner for Voter Education, Festus Okoye, to the effect that INEC was ready and the equipment were highly reliable, in excellent working conditions and dependable. Even suggestions to defer or delay the Election a few weeks afield, to enable INEC perfect its acts were rejected by senior INEC officials. Later, excuses, apologies and requests for patience from the Nigerian public, were simply rejected by the same public. It appears that a well-written script is being unfolded, with all the major actors in INEC well prepared to act their lines: the taciturn nature of the INEC Chairman, brooks no counsel. Even where the regulations of INEC and the Electoral Law state that any corrections, additions, tipexing is unacceptable and invalidated unless endorsed by Candidates or Agents, the INEC Chairman persisted in continuing the collation, and announcement of rigged results, insisting that any inconsistencies “would be reviewed at the conclusion of the process”, contrary to the law which envisaged immediate review. Based on our warning of Sunday, February 26, 2023, it appears that what the INEC Chairman wants is for all or any comments, to be redressed, after INEC has declared a Presidential winner, and all other complainants would be asked “to proceed to the Courts”, a classic way of never solving Nigerian problems but opening up the situation to uncertainties.
SUSPENSION OR RESIGNATION OF THE INEC CHAIRMAN
Whilst concluding that sufficient facts that warrant the stoppage of the Collation and Declaration of Election Results were prima facie, substantive and logical, the hard posture of the INEC Chairman must be of high concern to all well-meaning Nigerians. The extent of dislocations that will arise from the continuation of the current Collation exercise, out-weigh the benefits of a rushed decision. With respect to additional delays, the cost is minimal and is borne by all the parties: are there substantive dereliction of duties, invalidating and critical anomalies, issues, that will grant undue advantages or claims by parties in contention? Yes! Thus, any continuation now would unsettle the standings of any of the major contenders. The highest advantage therefore rests with those who want a patient wait and resolution of the anomalies or riggings; not those who are supportive of URGENT conclusion of the collation: more like the parable of the two Mothers, the one insisting on cutting the living child into two, whilst the other cautioned the preservation of the same child until he grew older to offer an opinion.
Evidence abound that the failures of the Presidential Election Day, Saturday February 25, 2023, were man-made and aimed at achieving an unwarranted installation of a wrongly elected President, through a greedy goal. We urge an IMMEDIATE suspension from all duties, of the current INEC Chairman. The effort to purposefully avoid the use of the BVAS and IREVs, introduced manual delivery, late collation and rigging into the 2023 Presidential election. If the BVAS did the near total acceptance of the accreditation of voters on Saturday February 25, 2023, and we have the Governorship Election scheduled for March 11, 2023, that Mahmoud Yakubu, INEC Chairman, should be suspended from duty indefinitely, is in best interest of Nigeria. Same for Festus Okoye, for deceiving Nigerians, and plunging the country into a conundrum of Presidential election crises.
Nigerians deserve peace, prosperity, good governance and brotherhood, the 2023 General Elections will bring us that blessing and nothing else.
LONG LIVE THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA!
Signed:
Dr. Orefo Nnamdi Onochie.
Convener/Chairman of NACOPPIN.
