The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), on Monday, accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of colluding with security agencies to compromise the Saturday’s Presidential and National Assembly elections and subverting the will of Nigerians.
The organised labour also fingered vile activities of some individuals associated with political parties in the collusion against the wishes of majority of Nigerians.
Citing election violence, intimidation of voters, late arrival of materials to polling units, bloodlettings, harassment, ballot box snatching and wilful destruction of election materials in the presence of members of the security agencies and INEC officials, the NLC said such actions run contrary to the tenets and practice of democracy which must be investigated to reassure the people.
The Congress in a statement by its national president, Comrade Joseph Ajaero, in Abuja, called on all Nigerian workers and citizens to be at alert to protect the nation from the hands of those who have foisted the current suffering on them wanted to subvert their collective will as expressed in this election cycle.
He said, “We have had recourse to alert Nigerians earlier yesterday of our observations and reports that reached us from across the nation on the shoddy handling by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of their early election day activities.
“We talked of the dangers it posed to the entire process and its outcomes if nothing was done timely and wondered why that should be so given the huge resources invested in the commission towards this election . We called for urgent action by the commission and key national Stakeholders to ensure that we have free, fair and credible elections.
“Unfortunately, the situation rather than getting better got worse as the day went on with heart wrenching reports from across the nation of vile activities of individuals associated with some parties and utter collusion of INEC officials and security agencies to compromise the election and subvert the will of the people.
“We call on the Military and the Police to ensure the sanctity of the Ballot and protect the lives of the citizenry who they swore to protect with their arms. This is not only their constitutional duties bot also their moral obligations. We call on them to live up to this challenge and protect the process as enshrined in our statutes.
“It is on this note that we call on the President of the Federal Republic, His Excellency Muhammed Buhari to rise to the occasion and call the electoral umpire (INEC) to order. The President ought to seize the redemptive power in this situation and demand that INEC returns to the Rule book for election conduct. It is only by doing this that he will reassure Nigerians of his innocence in this unfolding drama.
“INEC is a repository of their voices and conscience. It must give it free reign and expression! Suppressing it will amount to subversion! Subverting it poses a serious danger not only to our democracy but to our nation! The next call belongs to INEC and we await its action. It is either it sabotages our people and betrays the nation or it stands with the people! Anything short of announcing the result that reflects the true will of the people subverts the nation and will be resisted by the people.
“We warn that only an outcome that is adjudged by the people to be a full expression of their sovereign will can guarantee acceptance and peace. We must therefore in pursuit of these ensure that INEC stops this collusion and subversion across the country to deliver fair, credible and acceptable outcomes for this election… and not to allow this election to degenerate into a national security crisis, thi is avoidable and it is only by allowing the sovereign will prevail that we can guarantee national peace.”
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