Over 18 civil society organizations protested outside the national headquarters of the Independent National Election Commission (INEC) over the controversial presidential and National Assembly elections.
On Tuesday in Abuja, the coalition demanded the immediate resignation of INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu for declaring Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as the winner despite technical difficulties in submitting the results electronically.
Dada Olayinka, the coalition’s convener, told reporters during the rally that the people would not recognize any president-elect who benefited from a rigged election.
Olayinka also called for an independent probe to find out the actual reasons the commission under the leadership of Yakubu failed Africa’s biggest democracy at the last poll after assuring Nigerians that their staff were well-trained and that election results would be transmitted electronically to their server from the polling units
“INEC claimed the BVAS technology was going to be effectively deployed to forestall rigging and over voting.
“In places where BVAS worked efficiently, there were reported cases of over voting in many centres leading to denial of voter’s rights, including reported compromise of the process by some adhoc/staff of INEC and ballot snatching. Many votes didn’t count.
“It is safe therefore to conclude that INEC did not only conduct 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 judged to be free, fair, credible and transparent.
“The Coalition of Civil Societies of Nigeria, an umbrella forum comprising 18 others, demands the immediate resignation of Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu and also entire cancellation of the sham results announced by him.”