**Urges Buhari to live up to his promise of delivering free, fair election
***Advices INEC to ensure that the wishes of the people are upheld
The Labour Party on Sunday accused INEC of conniving with politicians to manipulate the 2023 Presidential, and national Assembly elections, claiming it has enough documentary evidence to back up its assertions.
Speaking on Sunday Night at a world Press Conference in Abuja, the National chairman of the party Julius Abure said,
“We have sufficient documentary evidence that confirm
that manipulations of the presidential elections results have occurred in Lagos, Rivers, Imo, Parts of Edo State, Delta State, and some Northern States.
“These manipulations were carried out under the
watchful eyes and connivance of police officers at the various
election units and INEC offices.
He said the decision of the electoral Umpire to go ahead to announce the doctored results based on manufactured voting has defeated the efforts made by Nigerians to see that the
Electoral Act was amended to allow for electronic
transmission of results.
“It is disheartening that 24 hours after the elections held
across the country that INEC is still yet to upload the authentic
results of the Presidential poll on its server.
“The excuse that the server is down is not tenable because we had meeting with INEC before the elections and the electoral umpire assured all political parties, and indeed
Nigerians, that they had a Data Recorvert Server and in the
event of a technical hitch, the emergency server would be
used until the main server was brought back online.
“We find it difficult to accept the flimsy excuse that the
INEC servers were down.
“Nigerians participated in this process with the belief that the
use of technology and adherence to the agreed electronic
transmission of results to INEC servers at polling units would
ensure a free, fair, and transparent elections.
“Traditionally, Nigerians know that previous elections witnessed
manipulations of results by desperate politicians at collation
centres and polling units.
“But, yesterday, being Saturday, February 25, 2023, the
very process which INEC assured Nigerians would be followed
was truncated for whatever reasons. No matter what those
reasons are, they are totally unacceptable to Nigerians and
members of the party.
“INEC servers shut down and only Presidential elections could not be uploaded on to the INEC server. The Bimodal
Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) did not work as planned.
“This failure no doubt as given room for manipulation of
the presidential results being announced by the INEC
Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu at the Collation
Centre in Abuja.
“The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by its conduct has caused millions of Nigerians, particularly the
teeming youth, who took part in this election with high hopes of a free and fair transparent process to hold strong feelings
of disappointment and disillusionment.
“The Electoral Act was amended in 2022 for the electronic
transmission of results after they are declared at the polling
units.
“The exercise has left millions of Nigerians disappointed and
disillusioned because of the unprofessional conduct of state
and non-state actors who participated in the process.
He also described the impunity which occurred in the entire Lagos State during the conduct of Saturday election as another show of shame, where INEC officials refused to upload Presidential election results
“There were widespread incidences of violence, ethnic
profiling, and threats metted out on Nigerians, particularly
those who supported the Labour Party and our Presidential
Candidate, His Excellency, Mr Peter Obi.
“Information from our party agents has it that in places
like Agege, Kosofe, Oshodi-Isolo, Surulere, and Ibeju Lekki,
amongst others where results shows that Labour Party won
convincingly, the INEC officials claim that the BVAS suddenly
developed fault when it concerns uploading results of the
presidential election.
“The same INEC officials uploaded the results of the
National Assembly elections to the server without hitches
INEC officials used the police to drive our agents and
supporters out of the collation centre. And they said that they
have firm instruction from INEC headquarters not to upload.
“In Kosofe, they put the collation centre in a Local Government Area Headquarters. The place is surrounded by APC members and people are afraid of their life. “They were not uploading the results, they said that they have been given instruction to insist that the BVAS is faulty.
“And most of the places we won, but they have refused
to upload.
“APC officials in Yaba, Agege, Kosofe, Oshodi-Isolo, and
Surulere office of INEC were negotiating with the officials.
“In Ibeju Lekki, Labour Party local government chairman
and officials who attempted to stop the rigging were arrested
by the police.
“Similar thuggery and rigging occurred in Delta state.”
“Nigeria cannot afford to carry on as if all is well, all is certainly not well. This election has been marred by irregularities and the integrity of INEC and its Chairman are now in doubt.”
He called on President Muhammadu Buhari, to live up to his promise to Nigerians as millions of Nigerians, particularly, the youth, who participated in the 2023
elections with the hope that the President would keep to his
promise of a free, fair, and transparent election.
“Mr President must live up to his promise to Nigerians. His
legacy is at stake at this pivotal moment in our country’s
history.
“We also call on the INEC Chairman Professor Mahmood
Yakubu and the commission itself to ensure that the wishes of
the people are upheld.
“Let us re-emphasise, the purpose of clearing all doubt,
that the Labour Party and our presidential candidate, His
Excellency Peter Obi will only accept results which reflect the
actual voting results obtained at polling units across the
country.