The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) Professor Mahmood Yakubu has reacted to the demand for his removal as Chairman of the Commission and prosecution by relevant authorities over the alleged electoral heist.<\/p>\n
Rotimi Oyekanmi, Chief Press Secretary, CPS, to the INEC Chairman, in a response dismissed the call for his removal and prosecution as misplaced.<\/p>\n
Speaking futher on the observations and recommendations of the EU and other observers, Professor Yakubu declared that \u201cit is not within the remit of any election observer whatsoever to indict INEC. They are to observe and make recommendations if they have any, but never to indict.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the same manner, it is also not within the Labour Party\u2019s jurisdiction to demand the dismissal and prosecution of the INEC Chairman over the outcome of an election in which the party fielded candidates. \u201c<\/p>\n
The INEC Chairman noted that the same electoral process which the LP has adjudged as shoddy has earned it \u201d one State Governor, eight Senators, 35 House of Representatives members and 38 members of the State Houses of Assembly. \u201c<\/p>\n
Professor Yakubu further warned the opposition party to restrict \u201citself to activities permitted under the rules and regulations governing the conduct of political parties.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to him::\u201d The latest and familiar call by the Labour Party for the dismissal and prosecution of INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu is misplaced. The reasons adduced by the party for making the demand are not only illogical but also ridiculous.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo be sure, election observers, both local and international, are accredited by INEC to observe elections under specific rules and regulations. Under these rules, they are required to submit their respective reports to the Commission. Such reports may or may not include their recommendations.<\/p>\n
\u201cTherefore, it is not within the remit of any election observer whatsoever to indict INEC. They are to observe and make recommendations if they have any, but never to indict.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the same manner, it is also not within the Labour Party\u2019s jurisdiction to demand the dismissal and prosecution of the INEC Chairman over the outcome of an election in which the party fielded candidates.<\/p>\n
\u201cInterestingly, arising from the outcome of the same 2023 General Election, the Labour Party has now produced one State Governor, eight Senators, 35 House of Representatives members, and 38 State Houses of Assembly members.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is surprising and strange that a political party that is in court to challenge the outcome of the 2023 presidential election would still go about openly advocating the issues before the court at press conferences, which it knows is sub judice.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Labour Party is one of the 18 political parties registered and being regulated by INEC in Nigeria. The party will do well by restricting itself to activities permitted under the rules and regulations governing the conduct of political parties.\u201d<\/p>\n
Earlier, the Director \u2013 General Labour Party and Obi- Datti Campaign Organisation, Akin Oshuntokun, made the call at a news conference in Abuja on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Oshuntokun said the LP before the report of the European Union and other local and international observers whose report, it claimed, indicted INEC of shoddy preparations and wilful connivance with the ruling party to shortchange the electorate in its conduct of the last general elections.<\/p>\n
He berated the INEC Chairman of a lack of transparency in the management of public funds appropriated by the National Assembly for the Commission.<\/p>\n
Oshuntokun said: \u201cIn conclusion, we commend the International Community and Civil Society, for their continued support, in growing and consolidating our democracy.<\/p>\n
“It is now only logical, bolstered by the final Observer Group reports, that the International Community take immediate and appropriate punitive action against Prof Mahmud Yakubu, Barrister Festus Okoye, and other top administrative and field staff of INEC, directly complicit in the desecration of these elections.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe also demand unequivocally the immediate dismissal from office and prosecution of Prof Mahmud Yakubu and the commencement of the forensic financial investigation into the expenditure of budgeted disbursements and Donors\u2019 funds received by INEC, not least of which is the N300 billion appropriated from the National purse, as well as other funds and materials, received from International Donor Agencies. \u201c<\/p>\n
David Lawani<\/strong><\/em>,\u00a0Abuja<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) Professor Mahmood Yakubu has reacted to the demand for his removal as Chairman of the Commission and prosecution by relevant authorities over the alleged electoral heist. Rotimi Oyekanmi, Chief Press Secretary, CPS, to the INEC Chairman, in a response dismissed the call for his removal […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":497,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[172],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-496","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/496","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=496"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/496\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":498,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/496\/revisions\/498"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/497"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=496"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=496"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=496"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}