From TONY JOHN, Port Harcourt
Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), has condemned the reported connivance of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials with unscrupulous and desperate politicians to subvert the will of the people in the Saturday presidential and National Assembly elections.
MOSOP President, Prince Biira, who spoke in Bori, the traditional headquarters of Ogoni ethnic nationality, in Rivers State, yesterday, said field reports showed that Ogoni people were worse hit by the undemocratic conduct of INEC officials and some desperate politicians.
He described INEC officials as electoral fraudsters, who deliberately failed to upload the results at the unit level as provided by the election guidelines.
According to the MOSOP President, field reports from the MOSOP Election Monitoring Team, MEMT, revealed that INEC officials colluded with unpopular local politicians and altered at the LGA Collation Centres at Bori and Kpor, the authentic results emanating from units and wards in favour of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) contestants that lost at the unit level in the said polls.
Biira said: “This undemocratic behaviour of INEC officials, politicians and security operatives, which has become a recurring decimal, and which has assumed notoriety is unacceptable.
“It is appalling that 24 years of our presidential democracy, 24 years of repeated condemnations of the immoral electoral conduct, the electoral umpire has refused to reform because of pecuniary gains. And instead, sustained involvement in ignoble electoral malpractices that had seen to the abortion of the right of citizens to freely and legally elect leaders of their choice.
“It is an undisputable fact, that the current democratic dispensation was secured with the blood of Nigerians in the liberation struggle against military rule.
“Ogoni lost over 2,000 natives including a generation of her leadership. Thus, we will resist all negative efforts to truncate this best means of civil governance. Hence, we urge the national leadership of INEC to ward into the matter immediately.”
He further warned that the 2023 general elections are important to Ogoni ethnic nationality and the citizens would not keep quiet and watch their will subverted.
“We would reiterate that 2023 is critical to repositioning Rivers State for the common good of us all. Similarly, 2023 is important for the political liberation of Ogoni.
“We are, therefore, calling on all sons and daughters of Ogoni not to be deterred by the criminal developments of last Saturday. We are aware that effective efforts are being made to effect redress. Hence, we appeal to all Ogonis to turn out emasse for the March 11 governorship and House of Assembly polls.
“MOSOP also urges the Ogoni people to resist all attempts to disenfranchise them as well as ensure faultless defence of their votes from the units to the LGA collation centres. And equally ensure that results are uploaded at the units before taking to the LGA collation centres.
“We would warn saboteurs against sabotaging our popular political resolve. To be fore-warned is to be fore-armed!”
Ends.