Cancel Presidential Election, Coalition of Edo Voters Demand

By Lucky Isibor 

Coalition of Edo National Voters  have called for the cancellation of last Saturday's presidential election won by the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress APC candidate, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu and a neutral body of forensic experts be set up to audit the entire presidential elections with a view to unearthing the electoral fraud which the group alleged marred the election. 

The coalition which made the call Thursday, March 2 in a press conference at the Nigeria Union of Journalists NUJ press centre in Benin City, noted that the nation's electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, deliberately refused to upload election results on its portal to enable it manipulate the results in favour of the APC candidate, adding that it's the reason the party is not condemning the alleged irregularities perpetrated by INEC during the presidential election. 

"INEC, deviously failed to upload the election results into the Independent Review Portal (IREV), as was not only promised by the INEC Chairman, but also, as evidenced by records,  had insisted, vehemently, before the election, that no manual computations of results will be used to determine the winner of the 2023 election results.

"Where the results were uploaded at all,  by some of INEC polling officers, testimonies abound of unimaginable proportion of alterations, so much so, that results sheets on the portal from River State, for instance, looks like a painter's canvass. Citizens of other states, who saw their results earlier uploaded at the respective polling units, can no longer recognise the travesties called results at the IREV.

"INEC had craftily promised all Nigerians the benefit of being able to view the uploaded results online, even from the comfort of their homes. We wonder therefore, why the INEC  Chairman was so adamant against displaying same results on its portal during the national presentation of the results, even after the entreaties and protestations from other political parties. Well, our wonder was laid to rest, or should we say, to deeper worries, by the alarming submission by INEC that it did not upload most results into its portal. So, ladies and gentlemen, what we have as the 2023 results are the mental computations of the whims and caprice of the INEC Chairman, who took the unholy liberty to ALLOCATE results to each party as it suited his humourless fancy. As the emperor himself, imperially said in the pre - results briefing the previous day to the commencement of release of the results, whatever he declares as results are the only true results! The results are what emperor Mahmoud says it is! 

The text of the press conference signed by Comrade Olu Martins, Comrade Chris Ojeikere, Comrade Shedrach Udugbai and Comrade Douglas Odens also called for the investigation of the alleged sighting of INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu in the private jet of a high profile politician few days to the election as reported by a section of the social media. 

"We demand the immediately cancellation of the 2023 Presidential election results and a declaration that the election is totally an unacceptable fraud!. Even the declared winner said and I quote  ''

'I Know Many Nigerians Didn't Vote For Me

Or Support Me, And Are Disappointed I Won'. End of quote.

"That a neutral body of forensic experts should be invited to audit the entire Presidential election results, with a view to discovering the demons that have been bedevilling free, fair and credible elections in Nigeria. We are convinced they are hidden within.

"The immediate resignation of the INEC Chairman, Mahmoud Yakubu, or his sack, whichever comes first.

"An immediate investigation into the roles of non INEC agents in the Presidential election in Rivers State. Especially, the role of the exiting Governor.

"A public testimony and verbal account from our national youth Corp members and other persons, who were physically manhandled during the election

"A  complete investigation into a Social media report of spotting Mahmoud Yakubu in Bourdillion Road, Ikoyi, and the possible association with private jet".