Nigeria’s popular humanitarian activist, high-profile social entrepreneur and key leader of the Obidient movement, Comrade Kennedy Iyere, has warned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of the imminent danger in Enugu State following its delay in announcing the already collated results of the March 18 governorship election and declaring Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner.
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Comrade Iyere accused Chief Nnia Nwodo, his elder brother, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, and Prof. Barth Nnaji, who are supporting Chijioke Edeoga of Labour Party, of conspiring with former President Olusegun Obasanjo to stop INEC from announcing the collated results won by Dr. Mbah of the PDP.
“Let me tell you what is happening in Enugu State. Three men are the reason for what is happening in Enugu State: Nnia Nwodo, Okwesilieze Nwodo and Barth Nnaji. They are the reason why we have all of these things happening, and Nnia Nwodo is also using the influence of Obasanjo to do what is happening today in this Enugu.
“Peter Mbah has won this election, he has to be declared winner. The collation centre is not a tribunal. If you have any case, any allegation of rigging go to the tribunal. They should take a clue from what happened at the Presidential election. Mahmood completed the collation process and declared the winner. Today Peter Obi and the Labour Party are in court challenging the election. Why should it be a different case in Enugu?” Comrade Iyere asked.
He affirmed that going by the overall results collated, the INEC State Returning Officer, Prof. Maduebibisi Iwe has no excuse for not declaring Barr Peter Mbah the winner of the election after the final collation of results from the 17 local government areas of Enugu State because Mbah met the requirements.
“Prof Iwe for reasons he is yet to tell the world, decided not to announce the actual winner of the 2023 guber poll. Barr Peter Mbah of the PDP won the election. He deserved to have been declared immediately after the collation of the overall results.
His counterparts who were the Returning Officers in Lagos, Rivers and Ebonyi, discretionally declared their winners despite the alleged flaws that characterised the polls. But in the case of Enugu, which was relatively peaceful, Prof. Iwe allegedly acted under instructions not to declare the winner. This unhealthy political development is currently gathering clouds of violence.
Both INEC and Prof Iwe must at this point take urgent steps to forestall a looming anarchy by ensuring that the winner of the collated 2023 Enugu guber poll, is declared with no further delays”, says Iyere.
“Pressure and tensions are mounting high in Enugu State. The steps INEC has taken thus far, allegedly created suspicion among the indigenes of Enugu State, who largely believed that INEC has been compromised by certain political cabals whose interest is to compel INEC to manipulate the results in favour of their candidate who actually lost the election to Barr Peter Mbah.
“The Collation Centre is not an Electoral Tribunal where issues relating to alleged vote-rigging is addressed. I am sure Prof. Iwe should have known this reality. This is why he needs to act now, else the ongoing post-election protests will lead to violent conflict and this could lead to bloodshed. This need to be proactively averted,” says Iyere
He asked the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu and Prof Iwe, not to delay further in declaring the winner of the 2023 Enugu Poll. Iyere urged both Prof. Yakubu and Prof. Iwe to save a life.
Source-Nairaland Forum
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