2023 Elections: Labour Party rejects results, accuses INEC of “complicity in rigging”
Nigeria’s Labour Party has rejected the early results of the 2023 Presidential elections, accusing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of complicity in rigging and failure to abide by the published and agreed process.
In a statement signed by its National Chairman Julius Abure and issued via Twitter on Sunday night, the Labour Party urged Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari to “live up to his promise to Nigerians”
Disappointed and Disillusioned: Labour Party said the exercise has left Nigerians disappointed and disillusioned because of the unprofessional conduct of state and non-state actors. Part of the statement said:
“The exercise has left millions of Nigerians disappointed and disillusioned because of the unprofessional conduct of state and non-state actors who participated in the process.
“This press conference addresses the severe matters arising from the 2023 election, an extremely important election for Nigeria’s peace and development. THE FAILURE OF INEC TO ABIDE BY THE PUBLISHED AND AGREED PROCESS
“INEC by its conduct has caused millions of Nigerians, particularly the teeming youth, who took part in this election with high hopes of a free and fair transparent process to hold strong feelings of disappointment and disillusionment.”
Abuse of Electoral Act: They said the Electoral Act was amended in 2022 to enable the electronic transmission of results after they are declared at the polling units. However, that wasn’t what happened.
“Nigerians participated in this process with the belief that the use of technology and adherence to the agreed electronic transmission of results to INEC servers at polling units would ensure a free, fair, and transparent election.
“Traditionally, Nigerians know that previous elections witnessed manipulations of results by desperate politicians at collation centres and polling units.
“But, yesterday, Saturday, February 25, 2023, the very process which INEC assured Nigerians would be followed was truncated for whatever reasons. No matter what those reasons are, they are totally unacceptable to Nigerians and members of our party.”
The statement added that INEC servers shut down, affecting only the uploads of presidential election results. Also, the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) did not work as planned.
“This failure has undoubtedly given room for manipulating the presidential results being announced by the INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu at the Collation Centre in Abuja.
“We have sufficient documentary evidence that confirms that manipulations of the presidential election results have occurred in Lagos State, Rivers State, Imo State, parts of Edo State, Delta State, and some Northern states.”
They called on President Muhammadu Buhari, who has promised Nigerians that he would leave a legacy of free, fair, and credible elections, assuring Nigerians severally that their votes would count and that the process would be transparent and open.
“Mr President Muhammadu Buhari must live up to his promise to Nigerians. His legacy is at stake at this pivotal moment in our country’s history.”
What you should know: The Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, emerged winner of Saturday’s election in Ekiti State, the first state announced by INEC,
Tinubu Ekiti State with 201,494 votes out of the 314,472 votes cast, according to results released by INEC Ekiti State Collation Officer, Prof. Akeem Lasisi, on Sunday.
The Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr Peter Obi, polled 11, 397 votes; while Prince Adewole Adebayo of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) recorded 2,011 votes.
Other parties’ results, according to INEC are: Accord – 69, AA – 29, AAC – 108, ADC – 1,337, ADP – 737, APGA – 268, APM – 46, APP – 91, BP – 46, NNPP – 264, NRM – 141, PRP– 48, YPP – 81 and ZLP – 460.
