The African Democratic Party, the Labour Party, and the Peoples Democratic Party have requested that Mahmood Yakubu, the head of the Independent Election Commission, resign.
The three parties claimed that violence, electoral manipulation, and voter intimidation rocked the presidential election in February 2023 during a joint press conference on Tuesday in Abuja.
The parties urged that new elections be held.
“We are therefore constrained on this development to state that INEC compromised the integrity of this elections even before collation commenced at the polling units.
“Section 60 sub-section 5 of the Electoral Act says that the presiding officer shall transfer the results, including total number of accredited voter and the results of the ballots in a manner as prescribed by the commission.
“A failure to comply with the provisions of the Electoral Act and the guidelines makes it imperative that all results recently uploaded on the IReV portal must be updated before they are announced.
“INEC went back on that promise…This election is not free and far from being fair and transparent.”
“We shall not be part of the electoral process currently going on at the National Collation Centre and we demand that this sham of an election be immediately cancelled.
“We also call for a fresh election to be carried out in accordance to the laid down INEC procedure.”
“We therefore call on Yakubu to step aside from his role,” the LP National Chairman, Julius Abure, who delivered the position of the three opposition parties, said.
The parties requested that Yakubu relinquish his position as INEC Chairman so that a “credible personality” from outside the commission could step in and take charge of the process. This would be acceptable to all parties and would reestablish trust in the international community, democratic institutions, and the process.
“We have a responsibility to the millions of Nigerians who put their faith in us and our presidential candidates to defend our country from the forces that seek to tear us apart.”
“We are calling on President Mohammadu Buhari to stand by his promise to Nigerians to leave a legacy of free, fair, transparent and credible elections to the country.
“President Buhari this is the time of great test of your integrity use your office to save Nigeria from this electoral mismanagement and save your legacy that seek to mar your democratic legacy”
“We call on Nigerians to join us in defending the democracy of our country.”
