•INEC must account for N305bn spent on polls —18 CSOs

•Election, freest in Nigeria’s history, says pro-Tinubu coalition

By Omeiza Ajayi

It was a clash of interest yesterday in Abuja as two coalitions of Civil Society Organizations, CSOs, differed sharply on the credibility of penultimate Saturday’s presidential and National Assembly elections.

Eighteen CSOs had earlier in the day marched on the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, demanding a probe of its election-budget funding which they put at N305 billion.

Describing the election as a sham, the 18 CSOs rejected the results of the election which saw the presidential candidate of ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, returned as President-elect.

Their position was, however, countered by the Coalition of Civil Society Organizations for Tinubu/Shettima 2023, which described the election as the freest in the history of Nigeria’s elections. 

N305bn Sham

The 18 CSOs, led by Isiaku Nathaniel Balogun and Dada Olayinka Olabode, who took their protest to INEC headquarters, include the Civil Society Forum of Nigeria, Nigeria Youth Development Forum, Democratic Youth Initiative, Forum for Social Justice, Movement for the Development of Democracy and Safeguard Nigeria Movement.

Others were Alliance for Peoples Welfare, Forward Nigeria Movement, Human Right Crusaders, Defenders of Democracy, Democratic Rights Assembly, Voter’s Rights Assembly, among others.

Presenting a petition to the commission,  Olabode noted that “before February 25, 2023, Nigerian’s had high hopes that the conduct of the election was going to be a standard for the rest of Africa”.

He said hope was dashed by INEC, the very electoral body saddled with the responsibility of conducting free, fair and transparent election.

Olabode said: “Prior to the election, INEC had promised that their staff are well trained, motivated and psychologically prepared for the task and importantly assured Nigerians that election results would be transmitted electronically to their server from the polling units across the 176, 846 available. 

”INEC claimed the BVAS technology was going to be effectively deployed to forestall rigging and over voting. These were major pillar upon which Nigerians anchored their excitement and belief in the process of electing their leaders.

“However, events during and after the elections would later prove that INEC performed below expectations and pulled the wool over the eyes of Nigerians.

“It is obvious that INEC deceived Nigerians into believing it was ready for the election whereas the commission was ill prepared despite over N305 billion of tax payers money the commission received to conduct the elections.

“It is safe therefore to conclude that INEC not only conducted the worst election so far in Nigeria’s history but blatantly took the people for a ride. INEC also flagrantly disobeyed its own rules and regulations and disregarded the provisions of the Electoral Act.

“The 2023 election cannot, therefore, be adjudged to be free, fair, credible and transparent. The Coalition of Civil Societies of Nigeria, an umbrella forum comprising 18 others demands immediate resignation of Prof. Mahmoud Yakub and also entire cancellation of the sham results announced by him.

‘LP out-rigged itself’

In a counter reaction, the Coalition of Civil Society Organizations for Tinubu/Shettima 2023 which described the election as free, fair and credible, alleged that the opposition Labour Party was so blatant in its abuse of electoral guidelines that it outdid itself in rigging.

Leaders of the coalition, Dr. Lilian Ene Ogbole and Okpokwu Ogenyi, stated this at a briefing in Abuja yesterday.

Reacting to claims by the Labour Party that it won the election, Dr Ogbole said; “The LP rigged out of control, especially in the South East. The South East was the hub of rigging in this past election. They saw rigging as their right.”