A civil society organization (CSO), Votes Must Count International Initiative (VMCII) has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to review results of the February 25, 2023 presidential election.
The call was made at the 2nd international press conference held in Abuja yesterday. At the event, country director VMCII, Dr Barry Avotu, said it was out of place to ask the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) Peter Obi, whom they believe won the election to go to court, when the Electoral Act gives room for review of votes collated, counted and announced.
“It is wrong to ask the ‘real winners’ of the election to go to court when the Electoral Act says there should be a review opportunity of the votes collated, counted and announced in units, wards, local government areas and states with the complaints by party agents which we witnessed at the national collation center on national television with redress.
“And moreover, the Electoral Act also provides that the announcement of the final results has a time frame of seven days or more, which give room for a review of any case while the collation process is still on. All these were not seen at any point by the national collation officer who is also the chairman of INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu.
“We therefore, call on INEC and its leadership to redeem their image as a true independent electoral body to immediately review the BVAS result on their portal and check the corresponding figure difference, with what they announced earlier, and declare Peter Obi of the Labour Party as the winner of the election,” Avotu stated.
He urged Nigerian youths, women and people who voted for Obi, not to accept the results of the election, because they believe INEC compromised in the release of the final results that went in favour of the APC.
Avotu further called on Obi’s supporters to embark on peaceful protests to enable the Labour Party presidential candidate reclaim his mandate.
“The time for you as a people to peacefully protest is now, your protest must be very peaceful and in an orderly manner, so that your voices can be heard by the government who have worked with INEC, to steal the mandate you gave to Peter Obi because they want to remain in power by all means.”
He also asked the United Nations, European Union, African Union, ECOWAS and all other international bodies to call President Buhari, INEC leadership and the APC to order, so as to avert a political crisis that will throw Nigeria’s democracy in jeopardy.
