Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo said that Saturday’s presidential election failed integrity test and as such, the election must be canceled.
He particularly asked the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, to save Nigeria from the looming danger and disaster waiting to happen.
In a statement on Monday titled “2023 Nigeria Presidential Election: An Appeal For Caution and Rectification, Obasanjo demanded cancellation of elections in areas where the exercise was disrupted.
According to him, it is no secret that INEC officials at the operational level have been allegedly compromised following the manual transmission of results which he alleged had been manipulated and doctored.
He said that results that were brought outside BVAS and the INEC server were not a true reflection of the will of Nigerians who had made their individual choice. He, therefore, said such results must be declared void and inadmissible for election declaration.
He called on President Muhammadu Buhari and INEC chairman Prof Mahmood Yakubu to save the nation from the looming danger, adding, “I strongly believe that nobody will toy with the future and fortune of Nigeria at this juncture.”
He told President Muhammadu Buhari that “tension is building up and please let all elections that do not pass the credibility and transparency test be cancelled and be brought back to areas where elections were disrupted for next Saturday, March 4, 2023, and BVAS and Server officials be changed.”
Obasanjo said: “Until last Saturday night, February 25, 2023, the good and noble plan and preparation for the elections seemed to be going well. For the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), a lot of money was spent to introduce Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), and the Server for immediate transmission of results from polling units. It is no secret that INEC officials, at operational level, have been allegedly compromised to make what should have worked not to work and to revert to manual transmission of results which is manipulated and the results doctored. The Chairman of INEC may claim ignorance but he cannot fold his hands and do nothing when he knows that election process has been corrupted and most of the results that are brought outside BVAS and Server are not true reflection of the will of Nigerians who have made their individual choice.”
He said “At this stage, we do not need wittingly or unwittingly to set this country on fire with the greed, irresponsibility and unpatriotic act of those who allegedly gave money to INEC officials for perversion and those who collected the blood money. Let me appeal to the Chairman of INEC, if his hands are clean, to save Nigeria from the looming danger and disaster which is just waiting to happen.”
BRANDPOWER reports that the ongoing collation of the presidential election results at the National Collation centre earlier today was thrown into confusion as the PDP agent, Dino Melaye led agents of other opposition parties to storm out of the venue, citing alleged compromise.
Click here to read the full statement:
Appeal by OBJ on 2023 Presidential Election.February 2023_0001
