A Coalition of Civil Society Organisations, under the
auspices of Middle-Belt Pan Nigerian Forum, has urged the Labour Party
candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, to respect the outcome of the 2023 Nigerian general
elections and move on.
The coalition spoke in reaction to Obi’s repeated
condemnation of the 2023 presidential election outcome.
He had on Saturday while reacting to South-Africa’s
presidential election, said the last general election was plagued with fraud
and widespread irregularities.
In a series of X posts, Obi wrote: “Nigeria’s 2023 election,
with less than 30% of Voter turnout, over 60% of the polling stations starting
late, and no diaspora voting, the elections were plagued by allegations of
fraud and widespread irregularities, all forms of glitches, despite an enormous
expenditure to the tune of about a billion dollars (direct allocation of =N=313
Billion and donor agencies support).
“With about 60% Voter turnout, over 90% of polling open on
time, allowing diaspora voting, the results and updates were real-time without
any form of technical glitches during the election.”
However, in a statement issued on Sunday by Dr. Danladi
Ceceko, the group’s spokesperson, the coalition asserted that the election
results, which saw the victory of 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.
“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,” Ceceko said.
The coalition accused Obi of undermining the country’s
institutions, including the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)
and the Supreme Court.
“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,” he added.
Ceceko noted that if the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) was as problematic as some politicians had claimed, it raised
the question of why there were calls from various quarters for the State
Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) to be disbanded and for INEC to
conduct local government elections instead.
“Local government elections administered by SIECs are often
fraught with irregularities and manipulation, according to these advocates.
“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),” he stated.
The coalition also challenged Obi’s comparison of the
Nigerian electoral process to that of South Africa, noting that 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.
He said, “We really need Mr. Peter Obi to do his due
diligence and research before comparing INEC to other countries’ electoral
bodies.
“The South African election also experienced technical
glitches, which were well-documented.”
The coalition urged Nigerians to respect their institutions
and work together to improve the electoral process, rather than disparaging
them.
“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,” he noted.
The coalition argued that technical glitches during
electoral processes were normal occurrences worldwide, and that such issues did
not necessarily invalidate the outcome as a reflection of the will of the
people.
