By Adadainfo
The Ohanaeze Youth Council, Tuesday, urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to publish the names of the 240 cancelled polling units ahead of the 2023 polls, and clarify reasons behind its action. The council also described the cancellation of the units ‘as perceived electoral fraud’.
The national president of OYC, Comrd Igboayaka O. Igboayaka, who spoke with newsmen in Abuja, reminded INEC that 2023 presidential election ‘is a peculiar election in the history of Nigeria political project’.
According to him, “INEC must remember that the 2021/2022 voter registration remains the most interesting period where Nigeria youths that have lost interest in voting came out en mass to register. Therefore, INEC would be playing with Nigeria’s political stability and unity if it fails to publish those 240 polling units that were cancelled.
“INEC should know as crucial as such information is, that it didn’t go well with Nigerian youth to state that 240 polling units were cancelled without giving details and reasons for the cancellation.”
Igboayaka said such clarification became necessary to clear INEC ‘as an independent and impartial institution’. It tasked INEC to provide details through a press briefing and a gazetted document the reason behind the cancellation of 240 polling units.
Igboayaka said, “We implore INEC to know that the more than 21 polling units allegedly registered in Niger Republic as well as INEC’s body language already is an indication that INEC has already compromised to rig 2023 presidential elections.
“These perceived fraudulent activities on voter registration, as alleged in Niger Republic, obviously shows that Nigerians and Ndigbo in particular will not accept votes coming from Kano, Borno, Jigawa, Kastina and Sokoto States if INEC doesn’t correct this error. Because, the aforementioned states have links to Niger Republic. And the master plan is to rig and pad through the above three states.
“Prof Mahmood Yakubu, the chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), must know the peculiarity of 2023 election. He should not be ignorant of the glaring fact that Nigerian youths today, being very creative in technology cum computer wizardry, will uncover steps geared towards compromising the 2023 presidential election.
“INEC should as a matter of urgency grant a world press conference on why 240 polling units were cancelled, and if Nigerians couldn’t find the reason reasonable and logical, we must compel it that election must hold in those polling units on 25 February or as a supplementary election after 25th February.”
