…Commission presents certificate of return to Senators-elect
From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was practically a battleground on Tuesday with no fewer than 100 stern-looking, battleready combined team of security agents took over strategic positions to secure the secretariat on Tuesday.
Several patrol and other official vehicles loaded with security personnel were equally parked at strategic positions to send signal to the protesters not to exceed their bounds.
However, despite the presence of the security agencies, several protesters stormed the headquarters to register one form of disappointment or the other.
The first to arrive the Maitama office of the commission in the early hours were protesters allegedly from Anambra State that demanded for the outright cancellation of the Senatorial election that produced Ifeanyi Ubah.
Grounding both vehicular and human traffick, the protesters had outlined the factors that flawed the Anambra South senatorial election, describing it as a total sham.
They brandished posters with various inscriptions like ‘election never held in Anambra South’, ‘INEC must demonstrate fairness’, ‘remove REC Anambra State’, ‘INEC has failed the country’, ‘we demand total cancellation of Anambra South senatorial election’, ‘Anambra cannot be ruled by thugs’,…among others.
Shortly after the departure of the protesters from Anambra State, pro-Tinubu protesters, in their thousands, had arrived the secretariat by 11am on countless number of vehicles in anticipation that the Atiku Abubakar-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) protesters will return to continue with the protest they started on Monday.
They also bear posters with inscriptions majorly supporting the commission and its chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, commending them for conducting a free, fair and credible presidential election that produced the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
They warned of dare consequences of the commission cancelling the election, emphasising that they will make the country ungovernable if there is any attempt to give the February 25 presidential election the June 12, 1993 MKO Abiola treatment.
“We are here to register our solidarity with the commission. We want to assure you that Nigerian youths, women, men, old and young are solidly behind the commission,” they said singing the trademark song of “on your mandate we shall stand…Bola, on your mandate we shall stand,”
In fact, the protest by coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), numbering 18 were more direct in demanding the resignation and or outright sack of the commission’s chairman, Mahmood Yakubu.
The Coalition hinged their call for Yakubu’s resignation on the questionable roles he played in the February 25 presidential election.
The protesters carried posters with various inscriptions like; ‘Mahmood who are you working for?, ‘305bn yet inefficiency reigns in INEC’, Nigerians demand cancellation of INEC results now’, ‘we reject INEC’s appropriation of results to APC’, ‘Nigerians reject 2023 February election’, ‘Yakubu must go now’, ‘make our votes count’, ‘Yakubu Mahmood must resign or be sack’, ‘for a peaceful Nigeria, Yakubu Mahmood was bias’, among others.
Titled; ‘2023 election is a sham, Nigerians reject manipulated results, Isiaku Nathaniel Balogun, Head of Coalition, Dada Olayinka Olabode, who doubles as the convener, claimed that Yakubu failed Nigerians.
“Before February 25, 2023, Nigqerian’s had high hopes that the conduct of the election was going to be a standard for the rest of Africa. That hope was dashed by INEC, the very electoral body saddled with the responsibility of conducting free, fair and transparent election.
“Prior to the election, INEC had promised that their staff are well trained, motivated and psycologically prepared for the task and importantly assured Nigerians that election results would be transmitted electronically to their server from the polling units across the 176, 846 available. “INEC claimed the BVAS technology was going to be effectively deployed to forestall rigging and over voting. These were major pillar upon which Nigerians anchored their excitement and belief in the process of electing their leaders.
However, throughout the period lasted, the security agents, though wielding guns, canisters of teargas and other weapon, maintained utmost civility in dealing with the protesters.
Meanwhile, while the protests were grounding its headquarters, the commission was at the International Conference Centre (ICC) Abuja, venue of the presentation of certificates of return to the Senators-elect.
At the end of the ceremony, about eight senatorial Districts could not be issued certificates based on death and inconclusive elections.
The senatorial Districts include Enugu East, Kebbi North, Plateau Central, Sokoto East, North and South, Yobe South, and Zamfara Central that will be going into supplementary election this weekend along with the governorship and State Assembly elections.