From Okwe Obi, Abuja
The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) has been urged to be fair and transparent in the discharge of it duties.
The call was made by some indigenes of Ebonyi State under the guise of Odinmma Ndi Ebonyi, yesterday.
It Convener, Dr. Laz Ude Eze, in a statement, said the admonition became necessary following claims that there was conspiracy and forgery of Independent National Election Commission (INEC) BVAS report and compliance certificate of the presidential and national assembly election of February 25, 2023 in Ebonyi South Senatorial District.
He said: “It has come to the notice of Odinmma Ndi Ebonyi that there may be an illicit cartel in the Headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that is allegedly specialized in the forgery of BVAS reports and other INEC documents for unscrupulous politicians to the detriment of the wishes of the Nigerian electorate.
“This much was revealed in a petition by aggrieved parties to the Inspector General of Police dated June 13, 2023.
“We are also aware that the Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP), a man of high professional standing and integrity, had on his appointment promised to ‘devour the internal enemies of Nigeria like a Lion.’
“Odinmma Ndi Ebonyi is convinced that there are no greater enemies of Nigeria than those focused on truncating her democracy and its gains so far.
“Accordingly, this is a test case for the IGP to prove his commitment and resolve to fight crimes to the hilt.
“We call on the Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun in line with his vow and resolve to fight the ‘enemies of Nigeria’, to immediately constitute a crack forensic team to investigate these grave allegations and, if found to be true, ensure that the perpetrators of such evil against the people of Nigeria are brought to book without delay.
“We call on the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to openly cooperate with the police and the Nigerian public to unravel this allegation in the interest of the integrity of the Commission and the development of our democracy.
“We call on all courts handling election petitions, especially in the case of Ebonyi state, to be on the alert and ensure that they are not hoodwinked or smeared by unscrupulous and desperate politicians, but discharge their duty according to law and; most importantly, on the strength of verifiable and valid evidences; in the interest of justice and rule of law.
“We also use this opportunity to call on the media, civil society and the general public to be vigilant and stand by Nigeria’s democracy by impressing it on INEC, the police and indeed the judiciary-the last hope of the common man-that justice must prevail!”