INEC, Security Agencies Must Uphold Democracy – Group

As Nigerians go out again to cast their votes for candidates of their choice in the governorship and House of Assembly Elections, Aka Ikenga, (AI) a pivot global Igbo Think Tank, has called on Independent National Electoral Commission to redeem its credibility and stand out as being truly independent.

In a release signed by the deputy publicity secretary, Collins Steve Ugwu and secretary-general, Barr. Mark Anthony Nduka-eze, the group called on INEC to uphold democracy and remove the stigma of being its undertaker.

“You must be transparent, you must be impartial, and you must follow our laws to give Nigerians the desires of their votes without compromise or theatre.

“We demand that INEC should today unreservedly regenerate the confidence of Nigerians whose unprecedented energy and legitimate expectations for free, credible, and transparent elections before and during the presidential elections was savaged by a cocktail of institutional “errors” and scandalously unprotected ballots, contrary to their strident but now clearly overrated assurances.

“We want to make it even clearer, that we align totally with all Nigerians who have awakened in vehement resolve to walk away from the dictatorship of corruption, and tragic detention of bad governance, for a leap in leadership only credible and transparent elections give.

“Our citizens’ democratic preferences are inviolate, must be respected,  and should never be criminalized, commercialized, or battered away. Our eyes are seeing and ears hearing,” it said.

The group equally called on all security agencies to give Nigerians protection to do a simple election.

They accused the security agencies of being absent for critical needs of protection in the presidential election and appeared to have been on leave since then.