By Christopher Oji
A university lecturer, Dr. Nwanko Nwaezeigwe, has called on the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mamood Yakubu, to address issues of underage voting and alleged malpractices across the country.
Nwaezeigwe, the traditional Prime Minister of Ibusa clan in Delta State alleged some INEC staff were behind orchestrated rigging and abuse of their responsibility.
He also condemned the late arrival of electoral materials, aided thumb printing of voters in favour of preferred candidates, and under age voting in some northern states as evidenced in video clips circulating in some social media platforms.
“Against this background, I call upon all Nigerians to boldly and fearlessly stand up against this impunity if they collectively believe with one accord that their collective sacrifices on 25 February, 2023 is worth their hope for a better Nigeria.
“Should INEC fails to cancel and probe these criminal acts by its officials, Nigerians should troop into their streets and bring both the INEC officials and their sponsors to immediate judgment,and let us see how many of us their army and police would kill. People should unsheathe their swords in any manner possible to challenge this absurd impunity head-long. Send multiple petitions to international community and file as many law suits as possible in your nearest High Courts. This is because any rigging anywhere in Nigeria is an obstruction to the true mandate of every Nigerian anywhere in the country.”
Nwanko also condemned the disenfranchisment of some electorates in some states, especially Mafolokwu, Oshodi,Lagos and said INEC should do something to address the situation.