By Emmanuel Oloniruha

Voters Awareness Initiative (VAI), an accredited observer group, has congratulated Nigerians for the peaceful and credible conduct of the Feb. 25 presidential and National Assembly elections.

Wale Ogunade, the group’s president, disclosed this in a statement by the Director, Media and Mobilization, Nelson Ekujumi, in Abuja on Thursday.

Ogunade described the outcome of the election as a reflection of the people’s will and victory for democracy.

“We deployed over 100 accredited election observers, monitored reports of other observer organizations as well as the media for situation reports.

”We observed the conduct of the elections in 176, 606 polling stations across the 36 states and the FCT.

“We can confidently report that the electoral process was duly complied with by the electoral umpire at the polling stations and at the different stages of the collation of results.

“It is in substantial compliance with provisions of the electoral Act, at variance with the campaign of lies, falsehood, misinformation, blackmail and calumny against the electoral umpire,” he said.

Ogunade commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for its professionalism, objectivity and dogged commitment to the provisions of the electoral Act in the conduct of the elections.

“We are indeed proud and commend INEC for the professional and unbiased discharge of it’s responsibility in line with the provisions of the constitution and global best practices.”

He congratulated the President-elect, Sen. Bola Tinubu on his “national spread electoral victory”.

Ogunade advised aggreived candidates and political parties in the Saturday elections to seek redress in court.

“The Electoral Act provides mechanism for the resolution of disputes.

“We admonished any of the contestants who may be aggrieved to seek redress in court rather than through claims of incitement in the social media which has no place in law.”

He commended electorate for coming out to vote on election day even in the face of economic and social challenges.

He also commended the local and International observer groups for their unbiased observations and report of the elections.

This, according to him, has helped to deepen Nigeria democracy, adding that their final reports would help the electoral umpire to improve on observed shortcomings going forward. (NAN)(www.nannews)

Edited by Abdulfatai Beki/Ismail AbdulAziz

By Cecilia OIogunagba

U.S.-based Nigerian historian and Professor of Africana Studies, Apollos Nwauwa, has commended the Federal Government for the introduction of electronic voting machines, Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), for real-time transmission of polling results.

Nwauwa, who is the Chairman, Nigerians Diaspora Movement (NDM),  told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in New York that when deployed as intended, the BVAS machines were supposed to check human manipulations.

The official, however, urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to do more than introduction of the BVAS to proper usage in the future elections.

“We need to find ways to eliminate the human factor, the botching of results by returning and collation officers.

“We should find a way to depend more on these electronic gadgets than these returning officers who, as humans, may be induced to alter or manipulate numbers,’’ he said.

In addition, he advised that INEC should be restructured to check the powers of the chairman, saying how independent is our INEC?

“In our current structure, the INEC chairman has broad powers. As an individual, if ever he becomes compromised, we will never get a free and fair election.

“I would rather recommend that we change our electoral laws to have three INEC co-chairs instead of one consisting of chairmen/women of the three major political parties.

“Under this structure, it will become extremely difficult to successfully induce any of the chairs to compromise an election result since each will protect their parties’ interest resulting in no compromises and no manipulations.

“I wish our lawmakers can take this into consideration because this sole INEC chairman, with unrestrained broad powers, is not doing our country any good,’’ the don said.

According to him, various reports received from the country and from international observers regarding the recently concluded Nigerian Presidential election are quite somber.

Nwauwa, a director of African Studies at Bowling Green State University, Ohio, U.S., said election observers from across the world, including Nigerian Diaspora observers, report the glaring lack of transparency by INEC.

“Visual and audio evidence abound of voters intimidations and disenfranchisement as well as ballot box stuffing and snatching.

“Worse were reports of frozen electronic machines and inability of election officials to upload polling unit results as soon as polls closed; then reports of the manipulations of numbers at the collation centres.

He, however, advised the aggrieved presidential candidates to use all legal means to correct the anomaly.

“If this election imbroglio is allowed to go unchallenged, we worry that it might become the ‘new normal’ in our national live and politics.

“I would strongly plead with the Nigerian Judiciary to be ready to take up the challenge and dispense justice dispassionately. The whole world will be watching.

“The judiciary should not be compromised in any form because they are the last hope for ordinary Nigerians, especially the youths, who were so mobilised and participated in the political process than ever before,’’ he said. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

He added that it helped to guarantee the secrecy of the vote, adding that voting in the polling stations observed, was well attended in the morning, but the pace slowed in the afternoon.

“Overall turnout was orderly and calm, and voters cast their ballots peacefully without major incidents.

“The mission found that, in general, voting procedures were followed by polling station officials.

“An average of four candidate delegates were present at each polling station.

“The majority of delegates were from the All Progressives Congress (APC), the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) and the Labour Party (LP).

“The IPCSL found that candidate delegates were able to freely exercise their mission in the polling stations observed.

“This is a sign of political maturity that contributed to the normal functioning of the polling stations”, the group said.

The National Commandant, IPSCL in Nigeria, Blessing Akinlosotu, said that IPCSL deployed 178 observers he Election Day and visited 2,297 polling stations throughout the country.

Akinlosotu said that 66 per cent of polling stations opened on time at 8:30 am, while 34 per cent opened late due to late installation of equipment. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Isaac Aregbesola

By George Odok

By Abdullahi Shugaba

Gov. Aminu Masari of Katsina State said that the election of Sen. Ahmed Bola Tinubu as President-elect of Nigeria, is like putting a ‘square peg in a square hole’.

Masari stated this while briefing newsmen in Katsina shortly after Tinubu was declared winner of the Saturday, Feb. 25, Presidential election.

The result of the presidential election was announced by the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu at 4: 15 a.m. in Abuja.

According to him, Bola Tinubu is resouceful and has the brain and capacity to rule Nigeria.

He said that God had vindicated them by disappointing those who doubted their ability to elect Tinubu as president.

“We have delivered because we turned out en-mass with our supporters and voted Bola Tinubu as our President.

“I am still appealing to our supporters to come out in large numbers, and elect Umar Dikko-Radda, to succeed me as next Governor of Katsina State in the Gubernatorial election slated for Match 11,” Masari said.

He said Dikko- Radda was a fine leader that would consolidate on the gains he had achieved in the the state.

While commending INEC for conducting a free and fair election, Masari urged the electoral body not to listen to unpatriotic individuals.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng.)

Edited by Ifeyinwa Omowole

By Emmanuel Oloniruha

The National Coalition for Peace and Unity (NCPU) has advised political parties and their supporters against utterances capable of tearing the country apart.

The coalition’s Protem Secretary General, Mr Cairo Ojougboh, gave the caution in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.

Ojougboh alleged that statements credited to some party officials that the #ENDSARS protest would be a child’s play, if the election do not go their way, called for urgent attention.

“Nigerians should note that in a moment of crisis, the poor masses are mostly the victims, while the rich have ways of taking care of themselves.

“We should be mindful of inciteful statements capable of destroying a peaceful setting,” he said.

He further explained that the social media has a way of misdirecting the public, noting that information coming from such channels should not be taken whole heartedly.

He urged the public to be mindful of the reports they believe because INEC was the body constitutionally empowered to announce election results.

“While we are cautioning the public to be watchful and filter the reports out there before drawing conclusion, it is also very important to note that false reports have a way of causing serious crisis.

“Drawing conclusion before understanding the scenario is not good for peaceful co-existence, because when the truth eventually comes out, the lies and false information will dictate the pace and action.

“So, we are calling on the public to be careful at this point in time because sentiments are high and people differ in opinions and approach to issues,” he said.

According to Ojougboh, the objective of the group is to manage the expected post election crisis in order to secure the unity of the nation.

“We have been telling Nigerians to walk the part of peace, so that the nation will not engulf in flame.”

He, however, congratulated Nigerians for coming out en-mass to vote during the presidential and National Assembly elections. (NAN)  (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola