The Labour Party, (LP), one of the leading political parties in the 2023 general election in Nigeria has called on the country’s electoral umpire the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), to suspend the collation and announcement of the Presidential Election results due to some irregularities.
Director General of the Peter Obi/Datti Presidential Campaign Council, Mr Akin Osuntokun made the statement in Abuja, Nigeria’s Capital.
Mr Osuntokun called on INEC to suspend the collation and announcement of the election results or outright cancellation of the entire exercise due to the violence that marred the exercise and the inability of INEC to upload the results in some areas.
The Director General of the Labour Party’s Presidential Campaign Council also reminded that, Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari and the INEC Chairman Professor Mahmood Yakubu have “promises to Nigerians of a free and fair election.”
He said that “The INEC Chairman also came before Nigerians and the Global community to promise free and fair elections and severally reiterated his readiness to conduct the elections.”
He also stated that, “INEC guidelines on the conduct of the elections were extensively breached” and that “INEC has been reluctant to make the necessary adjustment to remedy the situation.”
The Director-General called on the international community “not to condone the acts” adding that “there cannot be one standard for Nigeria and another for the rest of the world.”
He however commended Nigerians for their support for the Labour Party’s candidates, and assured them that their mandate shall be protected and also urged them to remain peaceful and law abiding, while assuring that the party will do everything within the law to protect their sacred mandate.
Olusola Akintonde