The Labour Party's Presidential Campaign Committee has demanded that the results of the recent elections be annulled and the declaration of election results postponed due to the alleged compromise of the election. The decision was reached on February 27 and was conveyed by the Director-General of the Labour Party Campaign Council, Dr. Akin Osuntokun, at a press conference.
Osuntokun stated that President Buhari and INEC Chairman Yakub Mahmood made promises to Nigerians regarding a free and fair election following the passage of the new Electoral Act, but none of those promises have been fulfilled. He added that videos and photographic evidence of violence and attacks inflicted on Nigerians during the elections were flooding the internet and social media, and some attacks were still occurring throughout the nation.
The Labour Party Campaign Council Director-General claimed that all promises about deploying a fail-safe system anchored on BVAS were broken, and INEC's rules for the conduct of the elections were flagrantly broken. He emphasized that numerous examples of collaboration between INEC and the security forces to thwart the will of the people could be found, and that INEC has been very hesitant to make the required corrections.
Osuntokun said, "Contrary to the publicly advertised guidelines for the conduct of the elections, we are convinced that the processes leading to the results have been severely compromised. Consequently, we state that we have lost confidence in the results being collated and announced. Nigerians have inundated us with calls and protests over INEC's non-compliance with provisions of the electoral guidelines and the obvious manipulations of the election results. We, hereby, call on INEC to suspend the further announcement of the results, and follow its own guidelines or completely cancel the entire election and make plans for another election with strict compliance with the stipulated laws and guidelines."
The Labour Party Campaign Council Director-General went on to say that the party is urging the foreign community to stop condoning the "multiple crimes" being committed in Nigeria by its leaders and start acting responsibly there. He thanked Nigerians for supporting Peter Obi's bid for the presidency and reassured their followers that their mandates would not be given up to a desperate band of unsuccessful leaders who have only brought devastation to their beloved country. The party also asked Nigerians to uphold the law and maintain calm.
