EU report: Opposition demands INEC chairman’s prosecution, APC fumes

By Usman Ahmed Kanempress
14th July 2023

The opposition parties in Nigeria, Labour Party and the Peoples Democratic Party have demanded the resignation of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Mahmood Yakubu, on the basis of the report by the European Union Election Observer Mission, which accords INEC low marks for its conduct of the general elections.

The Labour Party and the Peoples Democratic Party said the EU report on the election confirmed their positions that the 2023 polls were not transparent or credible, but INEC and the ruling All Progressives Congress dismissed Yakubu’s indictment by the parties.

The electoral agency had declared the ruling APC standard bearer, Bola Tinubu, the winner of the presidential election but the verdict was challenged by the LP, PDP and other opposition parties.

Tinubu polled 8,794,726 votes to defeat the PDP standard bearer, Atiku Abubakar, and his LP counterpart, Peter Obi, who got 6,984,520 votes and 6,101,533 votes.

Atiku and Obi had rejected the results, with each claiming at separate press conferences that the election was marred with violence and massive rigging.

Both candidates had headed for the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal to seek redress.

Member of the European Parliament, Chief Observer, Barry Andrews, who presented the preliminary findings of the EU EOM report in Abuja on June 28, observed that shortcomings in law and electoral administration hindered the conduct of well-run and inclusive elections and damaged trust in INEC.

Andrews also noted that lack of transparency and operational failures lowered trust in the process and challenged the right to vote.

The EU report was criticised by the Presidency and the ruling APC even as some party supporters protested against the EU EOM’s stance.

The Director-General of the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council, Akin Osuntokun, at a conference in Abuja on Thursday, called for the immediate dismissal and prosecution of the INEC chairman for his role in the 2023 presidential elections.

Osuntokun also demanded that a forensic financial investigation should be conducted on all the expenditure and donations received by INEC before, during and after the polls.

“We also demand unequivocally, the immediate dismissal from office and prosecution of Professor Mahmoud Yakubu and the commencement of forensic financial investigation into the expenditure of budgeted disbursements and donors’ funds received by INEC,”
Osuntokun said.

“This is in addition to the N300 billion appropriated from the national purse as well as other funds and materials received from International donor agencies.”

On the ongoing election petition, Osuntokun submitted that all the evidence supplied by both PDP and Labour Party confirmed their earlier suspicion that the election was marred by irregularities.

Osuntokun called for punitive measures to be served on INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye and other top administrative and field staff over their alleged involvement.

He warned against any further intimidation of the European Union and other election observers over their reports on the poll.

“The Labour Party and the Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Organisation condemn vehemently the negative and jaundiced responses on the EU report and other election observers’ reports by the spokesperson of APC administration and other ill-informed persons, which are totally in discord with the mood of the nation at this time and which also present an embarrassing contrast to their selective celebration of the 2019 election reports from these same observer groups.

“It is now only logical, bolstered by the final observer group reports that the international community take immediate and appropriate punitive action against Prof Mahmoud Yakubu, Barrister Festus Okoye and other top administrative and field staff of INEC directly complicit in the desecration of these elections.

‘’We advise those who have deployed hired ‘protesters’ to the offices of the EU in respect of their election report, to desist from any further wastage of public funds as the objective of intimidation is without basis and has failed from the beginning because indeed, the irregularities in the election were so excessively glaring with bitter personal and reported experiences by the overwhelming majority of Nigerians.’’

The LP chieftain noted that the EU observer group report corroborated the reports of other international and domestic observers duly accredited by INEC and also in line with the public opinion and the experience of the majority of Nigeria who participated in or observed the polls.

‘’At this juncture, there is no doubt that Nigerians and the International Community expect the judiciary, to critically examine the evidence, the law, and the processes of these flawed elections, in arriving at a legally correct, and overwhelmingly acknowledgeable verdict,’’ Osuntokun said.

Aligning with the LP, the PDP supported the call for Yakubu’s suspension and a forensic audit of the electoral body’s election expenses.

The Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the party, Ibrahim Abdullahi said the INEC boss should step down for a more competent officer to head the agency.

,“Yes, he should step aside. We were the first to call for the sacking of the incompetent fellow for alleged corruption and legendary insincerity,”
Abdullahi said.

The ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance faulted Osuntokun’s call, saying that INEC was not Nigeria’s problem.

APGA Deputy National Chairman, Uche Nwegbo, said his party would not be compelled to join issues with the LP.

“APGA has made its stand clear on the 2023 elections. There is no need joining issues with anyone calling for the INEC chairman to be suspended. The problem of Nigeria today is not INEC but a systemic one. We have maintained this position for a long time and that is still our position today,” Nwegbo said.

In a reaction, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, advised the Labour Party to desist from making ridiculous demands.

“The latest and familiar call by the Labour Party for the dismissal and prosecution of INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmoud Yakubu is misplaced. The reasons adduced by the party for making such demands are not only illogical, but also ridiculous.

“To be sure, election observers, both local and international, are accredited by INEC to observe elections under specific rules and regulations. Under these rules, they are required to submit their respective reports to the commission. Such reports may or may not include their recommendations.

“Therefore, it is not within the remit of any election observer whatsoever to indict INEC. They are to observe, make recommendations if they have any, but never to indict. In the same manner, it is also not within the Labour Party’s jurisdiction to demand for the dismissal and prosecution of the INEC chairman over the outcome of an election in which the party fielded candidates.’’

“Interestingly, arising from the outcome of the same 2023 general election, the Labour Party has now produced one state governor, eight senators, 35 House of Representatives members and 38 members of the state Houses of Assembly, “ Oyekanmi said.

“It is suprising and strange that a political party that is in court to challenge the outcome of the 2023 presidential election would still go about openly advocating the issues before the court at press conferences, which it knows is sub judice.

“The Labour Party is one of the 18 political parties registered and being regulated by INEC in Nigeria. The party will do well by restricting itself to activities permitted under the rules and regulations governing the conduct of political parties,” Oyekanmi said.