Barely a week to the Presidential and National Assembly elections, the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yoruba land, Otunba Gani Adams has called on the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmoud Yakubu to emulate the vurtues of the former Chairman of the National Electoral Commission (NECOM), Prof. Humphrey Nwosu and ensure that he conduct a free, fair and credible elections in Nigeria.
Adams who made this call at a function in Lagos yesterday recalled that Prof. Nwosu in 1993 Presidential election stood his ground amidst pressures from the military and went ahead to conduct an election adjudged to be the best in the history of Nigerian elections.
While reminding the INEC Chairman that his integrity is at stake in these coming elections, he said,” Am appealing to the Chairman of INEC to conduct free and fair election. His integrity is at stake. I won’t forget a man of integrity like Humphrey Nwosu who even with the pressure from the military, he stood his ground and took his decision and at the end of the day, Chief MKO Abiola was recognized as the winner of that election by President Buhari.
“So, I think INEC Chairman has the opportunity now to write his own name in history by conducting free and fair elections. Secondly, they must do everything with their power to make sure that every Nigerian accesses his or her PVC. It is their civic right and they have the right to exercise their franchise and vote for the candidates of their choice.
“Yesterday, I witnessed an ugly incident, till 4pm, I was not given my PVC, that led me to issue a statement and when they realized that the statement was coming out, they have to bring my PVC at 10am this morning. What of the people that do not have voice? What of the commoners in Nigeria that may not have access to the media to express their grievances? And I read from the television screen yesterday that about 800,000 PVC was still with INEC.
“I will appeal to the members of the public too to make sure that they go and collect their PVC. It will give us more room to know those who have the civic right to vote in an election”.
The Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yoruba Land who noted that Nigerians had voted for a lot of Presidents in this country however advised them to think about their local interest as well as the restructuring of the country in determining to for either the incumbent President or the opposition.
In his words,” We have voted for a lot of Presidents in this country but if you want to cast your vote, you have to think about your local interest, about restructuring of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, either the incumbent President or the opposition”.
He therefore solicited for free and fair elections in the country adding,” I am not happy with what had happened with the gubernatorial elections that had taken place in Nigeria in recent times. Don’t forget that Nigeria is the most populous black nation in the whole world. The entire international community holds us in high esteem about what will happen in the election and if you flash back in the history of Africa, about 80% to 90% of the war that had taken place in Africa is after the elections”.
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