By: Bola Badmus- Lagos
Pan- Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, has urged that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must be allowed free reign to do its constitutionally-assigned job of completing the collation of votes and announcing the winner of the presidential election held last Saturday, warning that anything short of that may constitute a serious danger to the hard-earned civil rule that the country was presently operating.
Afenifere handed down the warning on Tuesday in a release signed by its spokesperson, Comrade Jare Ajayi on Tuesday, in reaction to a statement credited to former President Olusegun Obasanjo in which he demanded the stoppage of the Presidential Election Results currently being collated by electoral Umpire.
Besides, the pan- Yoruba socio-political group said its word of caution was also based on the call for the suspension of the electoral process made on Tuesday in Abuja at a joint press conference addressed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP) and African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The trio further demanded the resignation of the INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu.
Afenifere, while conceding that the 2023 Presidential and National Assembly Elections that held on February 25 might have some shortcomings, insisted that the perceived shortcomings “do not constitute enough grounds to truncate the entire process.”
The group urged that the ongoing announcement of election results should be concluded, saying that those who were not satisfied either with the process or the outcome could seek redress through the paths outlined by the law, by proceeding to the Elections Tribunal and the Court.
Afenifere warned that “anything short of that may lead to the truncation of the democracy we are practising now,” just as it quickly recalled that it was in the vanguard of those who fought vigorously for the enthronement of democratic practice in Nigeria.
“Afenifere, from its formation over 70 years ago, has always stood for democracy and good governance. Along with others, it fought for Independence for the country just as it fought valiantly with others for the ouster of the military.
“It did this through the formation of the National Democratic Coalition, along with other patriotic Nigerians. Many of our leaders and young elements paid a lot of price for civil rule to return to the country in 1999.
“This is why we cannot fold our arms and watch as anti-democratic elements who appear to be hell-bent on truncating the present democratic experiment to have their way,” the pan- Yoruba socio-political group stated.
Afenifere spokesman, Ajayi, therefore, cautioned politicians against setting the country literally ablaze through their inciting utterances and actions, while also calling on Nigerians, especially youths, not to allow themselves to be lured into what may plunge the country into anarchy.
This was just as he reminded them that in elections, just as in sports, there would always be winners and losers.
“When and where you win, be magnanimous. In the same vein, where and when you lose, be calm and accept it as your fate. ‘You lose some and gain some’ to quote a common cliche.
“Let this electoral process be successfully concluded so that we can have a smooth transfer of power on May 29 this year,” the Afenifere chieftain said.
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