Election: Calls for cancellation of Tinubu’s election unnecessary – Northern Group
Election: Calls for cancellation of Tinubu’s election unnecessary – Northern Group
A group,Concerned Northern Forum (CNF)has expressed its congratulations to the President elect;Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and applauded the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) for conducting the most credible and transparent elections in the history of Nigeria.
While reading text of the press conference in Kaduna on Friday,spokesperson of the CNF,Comrade Abdulsalam Mohammed Kazeem, said the election was free and fair so calls for the cancellation of the election were unnecessary.
According to him, ” We are here to make our position known over the just concluded 2023 Presidential elections and the announcement of Senator Tinubu as the president elect, Federal Republic of Nigeria
He said “we want to first of all congratulate Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu on his well-deserved victory. As northerners, we are pleased with his victory and without being selfish want to identify and work with him when he’s eventually sworn in on the 29th of May, 2023 Inshallah. The fact that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, a northerner contested with Bola Tinubu under the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and lost does not mean we should join other undemocratic groups and networks in the country to condemn and discredit one of the most credible elections in the history of Nigeria. We are more concerned with the progress of Nigeria and with Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a new Nigeria is possible.”
“In a special way, we want to salute the courage and integrity of the Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Mahmud Yakubu for making history and delivering an impeccable election despite the aggressive work of saboteurs and enemies of democracy in Nigeria. Members of the opposition and Civil Society Organisations that have sold their souls to the opposition should note that no election is completely devoid of issues and Nigeria is an expansive and diverse country with a lot of challenges bordering on logistics and human failures. What Prof. Mahmud Yakubu has done by maneuvering through all the hurdles and giving a worthy election deserves commendations and not condemnation.’
“Despite widespread fears bothering on insecurity and kidnappings and against the judgment of many analysts that elections will not hold in many parts of the country, INEC under Mahmoud Yakubu delivered a world class election all over the country including flashpoints of violent extremism and terrorism such as Borno and Zamfara states. Secondly, the Naira redesign and fiscal policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria came at a time when INEC was putting finishing touches to its preparations. One needs not to be told that most of INECs activities including training and logistics are money based. Still, INEC went ahead and surmounted these challenges without shifting the date of the elections. Disregarding these giant strides and concentrating on very insignificant events is unpatriotic and diversionary.”
“It is interesting to note that the projections of political analysts concerning the presidential election long before it was held tallied exactly with the results recently announced by INEC. The facts are there for everyone to see. Insinuating that the just concluded elections is not free and fair is laughable because, for the first time in the history of Nigeria, Lagos state voted against Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Buhari lost elections in his state. Similarly, about seven (7) serving Governors lost their senatorial elections. If the elections were not free and fair then how come all the contesting political parties won in areas that were not their strongholds and even had elected representatives? Those hanging onto the issue surrounding the upload of results on the INEC portal should note that the Electoral Act did not state that results should be uploaded in IReV, it was just part of INEC guidelines which cannot be seen to supersede a law. It wasn’t mandatory for INEC to upload results on its portal as simple as that.”
“Those calling for the cancellation of this election are enemies of Nigeria and must not be given a listening ear. Calling for the cancellation of an election that has been conducted in the most peaceful and orderly manner across the country is simply mischievous and a call for the abortion of democracy. This election is the best Nigeria ever had and cannot be compared to the 1993 or even 1999 elections. Even in developed democracies, elections are never completely without challenges. The American elections of 2015 that produced President Donald Trump were rumoured to be tempered with by the Russians. It was so widespread but that didn’t lead to the cancellation of the result. The elections conducted by President Olusegun Obasanjo that produced Umaru Musa Yar’Adua were equally fraught with challenges but were not cancelled. In fact, Yar’Adua admitted the irregularities but rather worked towards electoral reforms. “
“To collaborate our claims of a free, fair and transparent elections, Yiaga, a reputable Civil Society Organisation that deployed observers in all the 774 Local Government Areas in the country and in selected Polling Units commended INEC in a press conference shortly after the elections for achieving a feat possible in very few democracies around the world. The CSO equally agreed that the results of its observers tallied with those of INEC except in Imo and Rivers State. Of course even if the results in Imo and Rivers were different, it wouldn’t have changed the outcome of the elections. The position of Yiaga is equally consistent with that of international observers and stakeholders. Indeed this is also our position as northern youths and citizens of Nigeria.”
“In the spirit of sportsmanship, those who have lost this elections and their supporters should reach out and congratulate Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu and pledge their loyalty to work with him for a better Nigeria. This is not the first time candidates will lose in an election. President Muhammadu Buhari lost elections in 2003, 2007 and 2011 before winning the 2015 Presidential election. Jonathan lost in 2015 without calling for the cancellation of the result. In fact, he immediately called and congratulated the president elect. As a true democrat, Senator Bola Tinubu in his magnanimity has reached out to Nigerians across all divides seeking their support to work together to salvage Nigeria. This is the time for those who have lost at the polls to queue behind the great leader to make Nigeria great.”
“Instead of creating tensions and causing disaffection amongst Nigerians across tribal and political divides, we call on those who feel aggrieved to approach the law courts following the laid down procedures and lodge their case. Sponsoring protests and making inflammatory comments is unacceptable and a direct call for anarchy. As northerners and all other democratic societies across the nation are satisfied with the outcome and we don’t expect any candidate of northern extraction to delay our democracy by any needles legal battle over a clear victory that Nigerians are all satisfied with.”
“As with all human setups, it will be a lie to deny that the human elements and technology employed in the conduct of elections all over the world are perfect. But as an African proverb says, you can’t throw away a baby with the bath water. We call on INEC to continue the good work they have already started by consistently working towards fixing the anomalies discovered in the past elections. The success gained through the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) should be sustained with the inclusion of other technologies such as Blockchain to keep hackers and other criminals away from tempering with the people’s mandate. To call for the cancellation of this election is to downplay the tireless efforts of the Commission and the resources expended so far to give Nigeria the best elections in Africa and the world at large.”
“Ladies and gentlemen of the press, it is your duty and those of the various media houses you represent to enlighten the public especially on the dangers of sowing seeds of discord and causing unnecessary tension in the country. Please, do not allow your media houses to be breeding grounds for fake and mischievous news emanating from desperate politicians seeking to sway public opinion from the good work INEC has done.”
“To you distinguished Nigerians, we applaud you for coming out in large numbers to vote for your preferred candidates. That’s the beauty of democracy and nobody should deceive you into causing mischief because your preferred candidate did not win. Remember, the goal is to make Nigeria great and the majority votes scored by Bola Ahmed Tinubu shows that majority of Nigerians believe in his ability to lead Nigeria and we are confident he will make us proud as our president. May Nigeria succeed!”
“Finally, professor Mahmud Yakubu deserves a National medal for carrying out this National assignment deligently, which is widely recognized by international community,”
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