A gorup, the committee for the Protection of Peoples Mandate (CPPM) has berated attempts by some quarters to mislead, misinform, incite and malign members of the pubic against the integrity of the declaration of the Independent National Electoral Commission on the inconclusiveness of the Osun 2018 Governorship Election.
The CPPM in a statement on Monday signed by its Executive Chairman, Nelson Ekujumi, the INEC should not be crucified while the state should not be heated up with destabilized information to dissuade people from the provisions of the Electoral Act which guarantees the electoral body with the decision to declare an election inconclusive.
The group cited the processes involved in the determination of the Kogi State Governorship Election as similar to that of Osun, who could not be distinguished from INEc’s norm of deciding such situations.
It however called on members of the public to disregard such information
Ekujumi said “The attention of the Committee for the Protection of Peoples Mandate (CPPM) which is a civil society organization, has been drawn to the undemocratic attempts from expected quarters to mislead, misinform, incite against and malign the integrity of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over it’s conduct and the declaration of the 2018 Osun state gubernatorial election as inconclusive on the basis of the provisions of section 153 of the electoral act”.
“According to the provisions of the electoral act which is a sub set of the 1999 constitution passed into law by the National Assembly, “Where the difference in lawful votes scored by the two leading candidates in an election is less than the number of registered voters in cancelled polling units, the election shall be declared inconclusive. (The quote above is my use of words).”
“For our education and information, lest we are taken for a ride by mischief makers and agents of destabilization, the provisions of the electoral act which INEC relied upon in declaring the 2018 Osun State gubernatorial election inconclusive, has been previously used in 2015 to declare the 2015 Kogi state gubernatorial election inconclusive and it is stated below:
“The Independent National Electoral. Commission (INEC) declared. governorship election in Kogi state. inconclusive. According to results. declared by the Returning Officer, Emmanuel Kucha, Abubakar Audu of the All Progressives Congress. scored 240,867 while Idris Wada of the Peoples Democratic Party scored 199,514 votes. Mr. Kucha. said the margin of votes between. Abubakar Audu and Idris Wada is 41,353. And thereby making the. election inconclusive because the. total number of registered voters in
91 polling units, in 18 local. government areas, where election. was cancelled is 49,953.”
“Therefore, if the quoted provision of the electoral act was applied legally and logically by INEC in 2015 in Kogi state, what makes Osun State different within the same geographical territory called Nigeria? Or are we saying that what is sauce for the goose, should not be sauce for the gander? No way.”
“We also need to educate our people to realize that INEC is a creation of the constitution just like the electoral law and so, INEC conduct at all times, must be in conformity with provisions of the law establishing it, if we are to deepen democracy and ensure a better society for all.”
“In this vein, we at CPPM align our voices with those of patriots and democrats in congratulating INEC for it’s commendable conduct of the 2018 Osun State gubernatorial election of Saturday 22nd September, 2018 and urge it to maintain the tempo, as Nigerians look forward to the conclusiveness of the rerun election of Thursday 27th September 2018 in the affected polling units in Osun State, while at the same time, assuring the commission of the encouragement and unalloyed support of Nigerians to deliver on it’s mandate in the face of misguided and inciting attacks and blackmail from anti democratic elements and their agents.”
