Calls for the removal of Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Mahmood Yakubu, following the eleventh-hour shift in the date of the 2019 Presidential and National Assembly elections “are totally dangerous, counterproductive and a fresh trap set by the country’s ruling cabal to embark on another round of usurpation and destruction of the country’s democratic institution per INEC and its leadership.”

The above is the position of the International Society for Civil Liberties & the Rule of Law (Intersociety) as contained in a statement issued on Monday in Onitsha, signed by Emeka Umeagbalasi, Obianuju Joy Igboeli, Esq. and Chinwe Umeche, Esq.

Intersociety noted in the statement: “It is no longer new and news that the present central Government of Nigeria is controlled by a brigade of cabals with an ailing and incoherent or “double” president; remote-controlled from left, right and center by members of the Italian styled ruling Mafia. It has been established, too, that the name of the incoherent president is incoherently and vicariously used by members of the ruling cabal to dethrone the Constitution, undermine and destroy the country’s democratic process and institution.

“A clear case in point was the recent impeachment of the country’s Judiciary by way of coupist and unconstitutional removal of the CJN (Walter Onnoghen) using “a black market order” of an auxiliary court (CCT). The coupist ousting was done outside the procedures laid in the Constitution and principles of Natural Justice.”

The frontline rights group said that, in the circumstances, it sees the sustained calls for the removal of the INEC Chairman “as not only counterproductive but also presidentially oiled.”

“As correctly alleged by the leadership of CUPP, the present cabalistic presidency of Nigeria has long thrown caution, decency and uprightness into the wind and reduced the country’s democracy to milito-electoral college system where anything goes with sustained alacrity,” Intersociety said.

According to the group, “The present cabalistic presidency of Nigeria is so misdirected, unrepentant and remorseless that it can wake up one morning and announce a serving Major Gen as the new Chairman of INEC. Under circumstances Nigerians have presently found themselves, appointment of the likes of Amina Zakari as “new Acting Chairman of INEC” is a child’s play compared to what the Administration is capable of.

“Having carefully followed and studied the events that have unfolded since the sudden and coupist shift in the date of the Presidential Poll, it is safely correct to assert that Nigerians have been brainwashed into singling out INEC and its leadership for condemnation; leaving out the Presidency and its lopsidedly composed security forces. It is an established fact that the central word responsible for the failed Presidential Poll is “sabotage” or “presidential “sabotage”. For instance, INEC does not control the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, the Nigeria Police, the SSS and the paramilitaries; but the presidency does.

“It was also not INEC that diverted sensitive air borne polling materials meant for one corner of the country to another or have them grounded without their timely delivery. It was not INEC, too, that wanted to stagger the poll and come up with Osun State template; which was vehemently opposed by the Commission. There have been reported security lapses prior to the botched poll, leading to burning of INEC kept materials including Card Readers, PVCs and so on particularly in Plateau, Abia and Anambra State.

“However, INEC is solely responsible for high incidences of underage registration and voting, alien registration and voting, burning and destruction of ethically marked PVCs; all done with rampant alacrity in Northern Nigeria. INEC also spearheaded and still spearheads the lopsided or skewed registration of voters and issuance of PVCs, especially along North-South and Muslim-Christian lines. The Commission is culpable and fully responsible for denial of PVCs to citizens of Christian and other non-Muslim faith in Northern Nigeria as well as the home and pastoral (those residing in the North and Southwest) citizens of Southeast and South-south.

“It is also likely an established fact that INEC has conspired with the central ruling Government of Nigeria and its party for purpose of front loading on Election Eve and Election Day of likely millions of procured PVCs as validly cast votes. This was likely done during the country-wide distribution of the so called “tradimoney” by the Presidency as well as reported massive procurement of voters’ PVCs or their code numbers; all done for a criminal fee. This is one of the many rigging strategies of the Commission and its conspirator Presidency. It is also one of the scientific rigging methods likely adopted to return the current presidency to power at all costs.

“Therefore, Nigerians must rise to the occasion and reason properly; avoiding falling into the traps of the country’s desperate Presidency and its ruling Party. Nigerians must disassociate themselves from calling for the removal of INEC Chairman and instead focus their forensic and thinkable attention at ensuring that all plans to rig the all-important presidential poll are thwarted. Nigerians including the main opposition candidates and truly independent rights and democracy CSOs and international observers must follow INEC and its country-wide activities closely and without breathing space to ward off its conspiratorial plans with the Presidency to manipulate the polls for the ruling Government and its party.”

Intersociety warned that “Nigerians must not be a party to militarisation of INEC.” The rights group said it is “not unaware of possibly raging intra Fulani rift between Fulani Daji (of the forest) and Fulani Gida (of home or sedentary background). The rift is suspected to have played out off late following the emergence of Buhari (of Fulani Daji) and Atiku (of Fulani Gida) as the country top presidential contenders; which may most likely have affected or caused divisions among Northern Muslim faithful; putting the INEC Chairman in quagmire.”

According to Intersociety, “The above having been said in passing, therefore, Nigerians must pressurise and prevail on INEC Chairman and his leadership to address them publicly on daily basis till Friday, Feb 22^nd 2019 on: (a) the whereabouts and safety of all INEC sensitive materials sent out on the Eve and morning of the botched poll, (b) concrete assurances or otherwise that millions of ballot papers have not been ferried to hotel rooms or hidden locations across Nigeria and thumb printed as “validly cast votes” for the Presidency and its ruling Party, (c) concrete assurances or otherwise that the sudden shift for seven days was not presidentially masterminded to perfect its rigging in conjunction with INEC, (d) graphic disclosure and breakdown of the total number and locations of polling booths across the country to be used in the shifted poll, (e) concrete disclosure of the number of millions of underage voters and aliens are given PVCs by INEC to vote in Northern Nigeria, (f) ethno-religious disclosure and breakdown of PVC numbers and their distribution across the country’s six geopolitical zones, (g) concrete disclosure of the number of multiple PVC owners and voters in Northern Nigeria and measures to stop them from voting or otherwise, (h) statistical breakdown by the Commission of concrete measures designed to forestall the repeat of what happened in the early hours of last Saturday and plans to prevent formal and technical or scientific rigging of the shifted polls particularly the Presidential Poll in favour the ruling Government and its Party.”

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