The Middle Belt Forum (MBF) has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (NEC) of deliberately cancelling the presidential and National Assembly elections results in some states to favour the candidates of the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The forum in a statement Thursday signed by the national president Dr Bitrus Pogu said the mass cancelations especially in Middle Belt states and the southern parts of the country has portrayed the INEC as “a biased umpire that is in bed with the ruling party”, saying that this could cause chaos in the country, if not promptly checkmated.
“This action by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is a deliberate and an orchestrated agenda to reduce voting strength of areas that are perceived not to be favourably disposed to the ruling party.
“The cancelation of the polls by INEC has assisted in swinging victory for many candidates of the ruling party in the just concluded Presidential and National Assembly polls of February 23, 2019.
“Instances of repression of people’s electoral rights were widely reported in many states of Kogi, Plateau and Nasarawa, including Southern Gombe and Southern Kaduna, among others. The cancellations in Nasarawa state provided a platform for the emergence of all senators (of the APC).
“In Karu local government area of the same state, the cancelation of over 150,000 votes gave an edge to a former governor who was declared winner of the poll for the ruling party, and across the various states of the Middle Belt. In Taraba state, suppression of votes through mass cancellation of polls proved a swinger for the ruling party in a state the opposition enjoys popular support”, the statement said.
Also, it accused the INEC of double standard alleging that in spite of incidences of over-voting in the states of Yobe and Borno, among others, the commission refused to cancel these polls.
“This selective disposition in the conduct of the polls reveals that the electoral umpire was compromised and engaged in a devious scheme to suppress votes from certain areas, while turning a blind eye to the electoral irregularities in other areas that are strongholds of the ruling party.”
The forum condemned these cancellations describing it as “orchestrated subversion of popular wish of the Middle Belt people and call on Nigerians to note these anomalies that have rendered the process a sham.”
Accordingly, it said the commission’s unjustifiable cancelation of the polls has also engendered apathy among voters, stressing that many Nigerians in the affected areas are wondering if their votes would ever count in the March 9 polls.
Nonetheless, the forum urged Nigerians not to be deterred the illegal suppression of their votes, instead should come out en masse today to exercise their civic responsibility by voting the governorship and state assembly candidates of their choice.
