2023 Elections: Afenifere Tackles FG Over Statement On Polls Being Credible

Pan Yoruba Socio-Political Group Afenifere has called out the federal government over its recent claim that the 2023 elections were credible.

The Minister of Culture and Information, Lai Mohammed, while briefing media organisations and think tanks in Washington DC, had stated that President Muhammadu Buhari fulfilled his promise of delivering credible polls.

Lambasting Mohammed in a lengthy statement, Afenifere via its Secretary General, Chief Sola Ebiseni said it is appalling that "government officials unashamedly chose the foreign land for their macabre dance".

Ebiseni said the minister falls into the above class owing to his recent comments in the United States.

"Lai Mohammed falsely stated that the just concluded general election in Nigeria is the fairest, most transparent and authentic in the history of Nigeria before an audience that knows the truth to the contrary and has so expressed in their editorials.

"lt is certainly not true as Lai Mohammed claimed that 'under our laws today, management of election results is manual', the ruling of the court 'that INEC has the exclusive right to determine the mode of election, its collation and transmission' only compels the Commission to act in tandem with its electoral guidelines to that effect.

"The essence of amending our elector laws resulting in the Electoral Act 2022 is the surgical removal of the mischief of managing our electoral process by the pernicious manual procedures. 

"In a clear case of abuse of office, Lai Mohammed, trying desperately to dance himself back to the mind of his party candidate having taken a different course during the primaries, has mindlessly descended to the abyss of falsehood reminiscent of his modus operandi as party spokesperson with which he has odiously smeared the office of the nation’s Minister of Information.

"The Minister lied when he claimed that 'the President ensured that nobody used the security agencies to rig the election in his favour but created a level-playing ground for the election'.

"The truth is that the security agencies in many states not only worked for the ruling party,  government and its security arms watched in acquiescence as leaders of armed thugs boastfully threatened citizens with mayhem which they freely carried out as if we are in a state of nature.

"Rather than tout the loss of the home states of some of his party’s leaders to the opposition as proof of fair election, Lai Mohammed should have been courageous enough to ascribe the feat to the vigilance of the people and why they incurred the wrath of organised and armed hired thugs in the elections.

"One wonders what is left for the courts to decide after the crude analysis by Lai Mohammed of the performance of the candidates, the figures of which he effortlessly and shamelessly bacterized.

"He ruled that 'Obi and Atiku failed to meet the constitutional requirements to be declared president'.

"He crudely handed down judgment on the status of the FCT and lied against the constitution when he said 'not only must a candidate have the plurality of votes, he must also have scored one-quarter of votes cast in at least 25 states'.

"He cheekily awarded figures to the candidates with 8.79 million and one-quarter in 29 states to the APC, 6.9 million and 21 states to PDP and 5.8 million and 15 states to the Labour Party which is contrary to the results declared by the INEC and even being hotly contested in court.

"Lai Mohammed’s disrespect for the courts before which those facts have been submitted for fair and independent adjudication is beyond the realm of contempt; it is treasonable because of his high office subjecting the courts to undue pressure of the opinion of the reasonable man to whom separation of powers and independence of the judiciary have no meaning having watched this government treat the judiciary, its judgments and orders with unmitigated disdain.

"Talking about treasonable comments, Lai Mohammed may need to rewind his own past statements, particularly the interview he granted Sani Tukur of Premium Times on April 27, 2013, wherein he said, 'Democracy will fail in Nigeria unless APC wins in 2015'. His principals did not fare better.

"The threats and declaration of comments of members of the opposition as treason by the Buhari administration is becoming most foreboding, ominous and tantamount to justifying its imminent clampdown.

"It is ridiculous that the same government that permissively watched leaders and spokespersons of the ruling party and their thugs openly execute their treasonable acts against the people and the democratic process in flagrant disrespect for the constitution would expect the decent world to take it seriously in its shameful sanctimonious preaching on allegation of treason.

"In sum, it is clear that the burden of democracy where Nigerians, particularly the youths, have insisted that things be now done differently and rightly is too weighty for this government and its agents.

"Unfortunately, Lai Mohammed, in America, has chosen the wrong congregation for its antidemocratic sermons". the statement reads.