The failure of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to transmit the results of the February 25 presidential and national assembly elections from the polling units contrary to its earlier assurances, has betrayed the public confidence in the commission.
A number of Abia voters who spoke with Saturday Vanguard said it would take a miracle for INEC to be trusted again for a credible poll in the country.
For the respondents, INEC has killed something in Nigerian youths who had thought that by the introduction of the Bi-modal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS machines, rigging would be checkmated.
But regrettably, instead of abating, the BVAS rather assisted in “digitalising rigging”, one of the respondents fumed
Prince Solomon is a Youth Leader and a civil servant. He told our Correspondent that he would never believe INEC again.
Former Leader, of ECOWAS Parliament, Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, in a reaction, said INEC had scammed Nigerians with BVAS. According to him, BVAS was used by INEC to deceive innocent and law-abiding contestants while election riggers colluded with INEC to perfect their acts.
The former lawmaker lamented that never was rigging and manipulation of election results witnessed in a larger scale than the February 25 polls.
Similarly, the Chairman Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Abia State chapter, Apostle Emmanuel Agonmuo, has expressed disappointment over the outcome of the 2023 presidential and national assembly elections, saying the exercise was highly flawed.
The cleric alleged the delays in uploading the poll results, and the resort to manual collation gave room for manipulation.
He said that INEC had betrayed the trust and public confidence reposed in it, adding that the announcement of a winner of the contest when no contestants had actually emerged according to the New Electoral Act.
Responding also, the traditional ruler of Abiriba’s ancient kingdom, HRM Eze Kalu Kalu Ogbu (Enachioken Abiriba), dismissed the conduct of INEC as a charade.
For the former Senate President, Dr Adolphus Wabara, INEC had colluded with unpatriotic elements to kill democracy in Nigeria.
Wabara said the shameful conduct of INEC at the polls had subjected Nigeria to mockery before the international community.
Describing the exercise as a broad-day rape and murder of the Nigeria democracy, Wabara said INEC might never be trusted again, especially by the youths whose high expectations, the electoral umpire had dashed.
The former Senate President also foreclosed the possibility of getting justice from the judiciary.
.Speaking also, a university lecturer, Mrs Onyi Oko, said Nigeria was not yet ripe for democracy.
She said that the privileged few that control political power were ready to commit any atrocities to perpetuate themselves in power.
OWERRI — The majority of the respondents from Imo were unanimous that “it was only anything but good and reassuring”.
Mr Ikay Ukaegbu said: “I learnt a lot from last Saturday’s elections. It is a truism that somebody must win in any contest, but victory is sweetest if all contestants are given a fair playing ground to prove their mettle.
“The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has made its pronouncement, but what matters to Nigerians and the civilized climes, is whether the result, as announced by INEC, tallied with the wish of the citizens. I must tell you in clear terms that my confidence in the election umpire, has been deemed irretrievably.”
Contributing also, Mr Albert Sunday, a person living with a disability, said: “A lot of our people were disenfranchised. A lot of our people were simply helpless, and confused, during that exercise. We could not vote for our preferred candidates and there is no guarantee that there won’t be a repeat performance by INEC, on March 11.”
A public servant, who simply identified himself as Emeka, for fear of possible victimization, said: “How can I start recounting the woes of the last elections? Can anyone, in his or her right frame of mind, come out boldly and tell the rest of us that the election was free, fair and credible?
“INEC, their sponsors and collaborators, simply acted out a carefully prepared script. Why did INEC not make good and effective use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, which they spent huge sums of money to acquire? Why did INEC renege on the repeated promises they made to Nigerians, on the use of BVAS and electronic transmission of results?
