Nigeria Decides 2023: Conduct fresh elections in areas where violence was reported -Fr Ehusani tells INEC

*Urges Nigerians to remain calm

By Doosuur Iwambe

The Chief Executive Officer of Lux Terra Leadership Foundation, Rev. Fr. George Ehusani, has called for conduct of fresh elections in places where violence was recorded, BVAS failure hitches and other factors that prevented Nigerians from exercising their right to vote across the country.

Fr Ehusani who was reacting to the conduct of the 2023 general elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, also called on Nigerians to remain calm.

While stressing that cases of violence, intimidation and vote buying was captured in various polling units across the country, Fr Ehusani called on INEC chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu to reconsider his position and look into places where these complaints were recorded.

“On behalf of the Lux Terra Foundation, I will like to commend Nigerians that came out in their millions on Saturday to cast their votes. They were looking forward to a change, real change in the quality of persons that leads them at the national level. We commend these millions of Nigerians that withstood the rain and sunshine standing for several hours in order to exercise their right.

“However, in the aftermath of the election, we have seen so many irregularities and a lot of logistic failures on the part of INEC. There have been calls for cancellation of some of the election where there are glaring irregularities and where those irregularities were captured with mobile phones meaning, there are evidence of vote buying, evidence of ballot box snatching, evidence of figures been changed and then of course, the figures were not immediately posted into the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) as promised.

“As a result, it has cast a lot of doubt on the credibility of the election in many places. Therefore, I join other well meaning Nigerians that are calling for restraints. Nigerians should please remain calm and not tear the country down at this time.

“I plead with the chairman of INEC to reconsider his position and look into those complain by various political parties about vote rigging, violent, intimidation which as a result, many people were prevented from voting. These places deserve a fresh election.

“I join many well meaning Nigerians in calling for cancellation of election in those places and also, everyone should be giving the opportunity to vote where people were prevented from voting on account of these challenges.

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“I also called on religious and traditional leaders to exercise utmost restraint on what they say at this time to have a peaceful country”, Fr Ehusani said.

Recall that many Nigerians including political parties have been divided over the conduct of the 2023 general election by the electoral umpire.

While some are calling for outright cancellation, some alleged that the election was marred by several irregularities ranging from violence, intimidation, vote buying and inflation of figures by returning officers.