The Southern and Middle Belt Leaders’ Forum has raised serious concerns over what it described as the “haphazard manner” of the Independent National Electoral Commission in conducting the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration exercise.

It warned that the “unwholesome practices” of the commission could “distort the credibility of the 2023 general elections.”

The organisation also raised concerns about the application of technology through the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System and transmission of election results by INEC.

These were some of the highlights of a communiqué issued by SMBLF
after its extraordinary meeting held on Saturday, June 25, 2022 but obtained by journalists in Abuja on Monday.

Several calls, SMS and WhatsApp messages to INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye and the Chief Press Secretary to its chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, for reactions were not replied.

The SMBLF also committed to, in due course, engage with the appropriate presidential candidates and afterward decide on which of the candidates to recommend to the peoples of Southern Nigeria, the Middle Belt region and indeed, all Nigerians of goodwill, for consideration at the polls in 2023.

The communiqué was signed by Chief Edwin Clark (Pan-Niger Delta Forum); Chief Ayo Adebanjo (Afenifere); Dr. Pogu Bitrus (Middle Belt Forum); and Ambassador Okey Emuchay (Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide).

On the strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, the SMBLF expressed great concern over the continuous closure of Nigerian public universities due to the prolonged strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities and urged both the Federal Government and ASUU to take all necessary steps to urgently bring this situation to an end and let the students return to their lectures, in the interest of the nation’s future and development.

On the outcome of the presidential primaries of the political parties, the SMBLF reiterated “its stance on the principle of zoning and power rotation between the North and the South, as the fulcrum on which the Nigerian Federation has, since independence, been premised.”

Accordingly, the forum commended the political parties, which in line with the need for national cohesion, equity, fairness and justice, have nominated their presidential candidates from the South.

The SMBLF also deplored the insensitivity of the People’s Democratic Party and other political parties, including Action Alliance, Action Democratic Party, Allied People’s Movement, New Nigeria People’s Party and Young Progressive Party “in nominating presidential candidates from the North for the 2023 election, in total disregard of the time-honoured principle of rotation.” (Courtesy, excluding headline, The PUNCH)

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