The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (ret. ), and the police hierarchy were urged by Igbo Elders operating under the auspices of the Igbo Patriotic Forum on Wednesday to reopen police stations in the South-East that have been shuttered for more than three years.
According to the forum, the petition was essential because, despite the fact that the closure has heightened instability in that region of geopolitics, lawlessness and “a mindless sit-at-home out of sheer terror” have persisted as the norm.
Simon Okeke, the IPF Chairman and former head of the Police Service Commission, made this statement at a press conference in Abuja.
The Independent National Electoral Commission’s refusal to transfer the presidential election results from the polling places to the INEC results Viewing Portal was another call he made for Nigerians not to be deterred.
The group advised them to cast their ballots in the gubernatorial and state house of assembly elections on March 11, 2023.
The Igbo Elders urged Nigerians, especially those in the South-East, to make sure they cast their ballots in Saturday’s governorship election while noting that INEC disappointed many Nigerians despite their assurance of a transparent poll.
Yet, he praised the President for a smooth electoral process in the South-East.
“The President should help the Inspector-General of Police reopen police stations that have been shuttered for more than three years in the South East.
“This has exacerbated insecurity in that area, causing people to obediently observe a stupid sit-at-home order out of pure fear,” he claimed.
He claimed that the IPF had acknowledged national reports that the INEC had fallen short of expectations during the previous presidential election.
He claims that despite all the assurances given by Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu, the INEC chairman, and other authorities, numerous irregularities were observed throughout the poll.
“The participation and zeal displayed by the youth and people of this country during the last voting exercise has affirmed that they are tired of the old order and will vote across tribe, religion, or creed once a credible team is put forward to the electorate,” he said. “From the far North, through the Middle Belt, to down South, from the East to the West of the country. We want to thank you again for your tenacity and patriotism.
“Unfortunately, the world was fed a falsified result that has been formally rejected by both Mr. Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party, and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party. Our eloquent voice with our votes has been maliciously suppressed, distorted, and mutilated. By the help of God, truth will ultimately triumph over the blatant lies spread as a result of the presidential election once the judicial hunt for justice gets underway.
“We acknowledge with a heavy heart that reports from throughout the nation show that the INEC has grossly failed to live up to its expectations despite repeated assurances by its Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, and other executives that the commission was prepared to conduct free, fair, and credible elections in the country without any hiccups at all.
“As you are all aware, the core of the Electoral Act of 2022 is to use the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System to electronically transmit the results of the votes obtained from the polling units directly to the INEC Central Server in order to prevent any manipulations that were commonplace by use of incident forms in the previous elections.
“We were told that the Federal Government gave INEC the enormous amount it needed to purchase the BVAS in order to make this election free and fair, if only to avoid any justifications. At the end of the day, the identical machine was unable to function at the crucial moment it was intended to!
“Unfortunately, the decision on who won this election will now need to be made by the courts.
“Nevertheless, we nevertheless call upon the good people of our country, the adolescents and seniors, to stay calm and law-abiding as this process progresses. “Weeping may last for the night, but gladness cometh in the morning.”
“This, we feel, will be the declaration of all those who turned out in large numbers to cast their ballots for a capable and strong government that upholds principles in the recently held elections.
“This has only ever occurred in Nigeria!” We shouldn’t give up despite this massive fraud since we are on the path to pursuing justice in the courts. We ask God to give our judges the fortitude to rule in accordance with justice and the truth.
“Having said that, we wish to call upon our people once more to come out and exercise their lawful right to vote for the candidates of their choice at the approaching gubernatorial and state houses of assembly election on Saturday, March 11th.