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From Okwe Obi, Abuja
The Director General of Good Governance Institute (GGI), Marcel Ngogbehei, has said the European Union report on the outcome of the 2023 general elections should not be wished away.
The European Union Observation Election Mission , had picked hole in the outcome of the polls, stating that the exercise was marred by widespread violence and manipulation of results.
But Ngogbehei, who is one of the leaders of the Obidient Movement, in a statement, yesterday said, Nigerians must begin to hold the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to account.
“The International Community through the EU report has made a bold statement and we cannot wish that away, rather we must begin to hold the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to account,” he said.
He added that following the conclusion of evidence tendering and calling of various witnesses by the prosecution and defendants in the ongoing Presidential Elections Tribunal in Abuja, asked the courts to declare Peter Obi the winner of the 2023 Presidential Election and safe the country another round of spending and agony as the Supreme Court did in Imo State on January 14th, 2020.
Ngogbehei, who is also a Sloan Fellow of Strategy and Leadership Management at the London Business School (LBS), said the call became expedient after a “careful consideration of the proceedings of the Presidential Election tribunal in Abuja and without pre-empting judgement.”
According to him, he expects the courts to help the country move on by ordering the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw the certificate of return issued to Tinubu, candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC), and issue a fresh one to Peter Obi – after a careful recompilation of all the results of the 2023 elections from Polling Units all the way up.
“The courts have the powers to recompute the election results as was done in Imo State and declare a rightful winner,” he added.
He said that “at this moment in our history, with the advancement in digital technology and our technical ability to store digital records of event for decades; what happened on February 25th 2023 in Nigeria cannot be wiped away in History and that the entire world is following the court proceedings in Nigeria, gathering a retinue of digital evidence that will last decades; the courts cannot afford to put itself in a difficult situation in history.
“All the evidence are clear, and the European Union Election report has come out clearly to corroborate what we all know transpired in Nigeria.
“There’s now, no hiding place for the little goldfish; the courts should do the right thing and declare Peter Obi the winner.
“It is the people that determine who lead them, not a few individuals, and the people has made a bold statement on the February 25th Elections; what we are saying is that the people’s vote must count, we must protect the right of the people to choose their leaders, and also send a strong message to those who think the only way to political leadership is by unleashing violence and manipulating the system.
“Nigeria will come out stronger and on the path of greatness if the Nigerian courts takes the bold step.
“The International community has a system in place to protect those who defends democracy across the world.
“Billions of Nigerian Taxpayers money and other International Organisation funds was committed to the Nigerian 2023 Elections, and we cannot afford to waste another billions chasing shadows; while the country is seriously suffering from infrastructure deficit – declare Peter Obi the winner outrightly and let’s move on.”
