10th June, 2024
The Coalition of Civil Society Organisations under the auspices of Middle-Belt Pan Nigerian Forum has advised the candidate of Labour Party candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi to stop undermining the country’s institutions, including the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Supreme Court with unfounded criticisms over the poll.
The coalition said this while reacting to Obi’s criticism of Nigeria electoral process and the outcome of the 2023 election based on the recent poll conducted in South Africa in a statement by Dr. Danladi Ceceko, its spokesperson.
The group noted that contrary to the claim of Peter Obi, the South African elections were not without their own challenges and technical glitches, including 579 petitions with 20 political parties rejecting the result as widely reported by international media outlets.
“The South African election also experienced technical glitches, which were well-documented.”
“It is hypocritical of Mr. Peter Obi to claim that the election which brought Governor Alex Otti of Abia was credible and transparent, while asserting that the election he lost was marred by irregularities.
It is worth noting that both elections were conducted by the same INEC under the leadership of Prof. Mahmud Yakubu”.
“Furthermore, it is important to remind Mr. Peter Obi that he is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, beneficiaries of the very institutions he is currently maligning. It was the same Supreme Court that restored his allegedly stolen mandate in 2003. Additionally, it was the same INEC that conducted the election that secured his second term victory in Anambra”.
The coalition noted that technical glitches during electoral processes are normal occurrences worldwide, and that such issues do not necessarily invalidate the outcome as a reflection of the will of the people.
“Because there was a technical glitch on the portal of the South African commission, does that invalidate the outcome of the election in which the ruling ANC won?” the spokesperson questioned. “I think it is about time we start respecting our institutions and join hands with other Nigerians to make them work and even better”, the statement added.
“It is quite unfortunate that Mr. Peter Obi would discredit our institutions like INEC and the Supreme Court, which validated the credible elections conducted by INEC,” the spokesman said.
“It is evident that the political elite who frequently malign the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are often the same ones who oversee the worst elections in the country through the State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs)”.
respect the outcome of last year’s general elections and move on.
The group also asserted that contrary to the claims of Obi, the 2023 presidential election which produced President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), reflected the wishes of the Nigerian people.
“It is evident for all to see that the 2023 general elections, especially the presidential poll, were among the freest and most transparent in our history,” Dr. Ceceko said.
“The outcome, upheld by the Supreme Court, is a true representation of the will of Nigerians, and it is time for all participants to accept the results and move forward.”