2023 governorship election: Don’t tamper with people’s mandate in Abia, Enugu, Adamawa, Ikoku tells INEC 

Veteran political and media strategist, Chief Mrs Mary Ikoku, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to delay any further in declaring winners of 2023 governorship elections in Abia, Enugu and Adamawa states.

Ikoku, an All Progressives Congress (APC) aspirant for House of Representatives for Arochukwu-Ohafia Federal Constituency in the 2023 general elections who spoke through a terse statement titled, “INEC, Do The Right Thing Now”, on Tuesday March 21, warned that any attempt to tamper with the awaited results could trigger breakdown of law and order.

INEC had since after Saturday March 18 elections in the three states suspended announcement of their results, a protracted development which appear to have built tension among electorate.

However, Chief Mrs Ikoku, a policy development expert turned politician said, “In Enugu, Abia and Adamawa states in particular, the INEC has been going back and forth, speaking from both sides of their mouth and playing hide and seek with the election results. 

“In all of the three states mentioned above, the electorate already knows who their duly elected gubernatorial candidates are. But INEC claims it doesn’t for sundry contrived reasons.”

Statements from INEC had suggested that collated results in the affected states are still being reviewed.

“This country is already on edge after the February 25 and March 18 elections. INEC should therefore be doing and be seen to be doing everything to de-escalate the tension, anger and disillusionment in the land and not to deliberately or unwittingly do the opposite.

“I hereby call on President Buhari and the INEC Chairman to call the INEC officials in these and similar states to order. It is time to do the right thing for once and save Nigeria and Nigerians the possibility of further embarrassment and crises. A stitch in time saves nine,” she said.