A former commissioner with the Unbiased Nationwide Electoral Fee (INEC), Barrister Mike Igini, has given explanation why politicians are determined to purchase votes in Saturday’s elections.
He suggested Nigerians to decide on properly the sort of individuals they’ll entrust their destinies into within the subsequent 4 or eight years.
Igini, who was the rapid previous resident electoral commissioner (REC) in-charge of Akwa Ibom State, admonished Nigerians to remember that there could be penalties for the alternatives they’d be making in selecting their candidates.
In a press release titled: “A reminder on what Nigerians have to find out about INEC procedures”, he mentioned votes of the folks now depend greater than ever earlier than and that’s the reason politicians are determined to purchase votes
He mentioned, “The votes of the folks now depend greater than ever earlier than and that’s the reason politicians are determined to purchase votes. We should all keep in mind that there might be penalties for the alternatives that you’ll make in all these elections for the following 4 or eight years.
“You should be guided in your resolution of your alternative by the sort of Nigeria you wish to see and go away and those that can prepared the ground for us collectively to attain our wishes on this nation. You all should come out to vote and repair the politics in an effort to repair the economic system.”
“The end result of the 2023 election might be decided emphatically by the youths of this nation who’re above 70 million (70,473,990) on the voter’s register. Equally, the complete presiding officers/assistant presiding officers, 707,384 of the entire a million plus ad-hoc workers that may man all polling models and conduct the Saturday election are at the moment serving youth corps members (NYSC) who’re themselves youths which can be demanding a brand new deal on the management problem of our nation.
“This Saturday election will inform how historical past and posterity will report the youths of Nigeria, whether or not they’ll betray or fulfill the mission and problem of their very own era given their demographic voting energy and the truth that they’re those to conduct the election.”
He additional mentioned, “The 2022 electoral Act, INEC’S improvements and procedures have put efficient energy on Election Day on voters to find out the winner of election, energy has been returned to the Nigerian folks, all of the provisions of the Electoral Act since 2002 equivalent to sections 49,53 and 65 (2010) that promoted and supported election rigging and manipulation for over twenty years have all been repealed.
“Accreditation with the usage of the BVAS machine is obligatory and obligatory to make sure the precept of one-person-one vote. There isn’t a extra use of ‘incident kind’ as a result of affirmation of a voter is made simple with “facial accreditation” and 4 different strategies. There may be nothing like ‘pre-loading’ of BVAS machines that fraudulent ICT so-called consultants on the streets and maybe some unscrupulous workers of INEC have been telling politicians to make thousands and thousands from them.
“The BVAS makes it unattainable for election riggers to make use of tough terrain whether or not in upland or riverine areas to provide faux votes that aren’t actual. Underneath the present system, all species of fish like catfish, tilapia and many others that used to vote in earlier elections should seem earlier than the BVAS machine on Saturday and subsequent elections for accreditation.
“The polling unit is now the place elections are received and misplaced, the period of somebody dropping elections on the polling unit however all of the sudden turns into a winner at Ward and LGA collation centres are gone and over underneath the present system. Polling models are the locations the place Nigerians will vote on Saturday to resolve the way forward for Nigeria. On the finish of the election at every polling unit on Saturday, a brand new register of voters based mostly accreditation at each polling unit will emerge no matter the entire variety of registered voters.
Underneath part 51 of the 2022 Act, computation of complete variety of legitimate votes and over-voting are actually based mostly on complete Accreditation quantity as an alternative of Registered variety of voters as was the case within the repealed Act that politicians used for 20 years to subvert the desire of Nigerian voters by way of rigging and manipulation of the result of election.
“The legislation has modified and Politicians can not use “complete variety of Registered voters” to vote on behalf of those that have died, “Jappa” and un-interested residents whose names are on the nationwide register of voters.
“Within the present system, it is just those that truly got here out to be accredited that matter and that’s the reason Nigerians haven’t been listening to of “inconclusive” elections that was nearly turning into the norm someday in the past. Thus, no “bankable” votes for anybody however votes of those that truly got here to the polling unit and had been accredited to vote on Saturday.
“Each end result declared on the polling unit might be uploaded to the general public election end result viewing portal for the entire world to see which makes it tough to vary or alter. That’s the reason all candidates by now ought to have arrange their state of affairs rooms for his or her occasion brokers that might be at polling models given duplicates of election end result FORM EC8A to right away snap identical and ship to their respective state of affairs rooms for collation with out having to attend for INEC however they can not make a declaration of the winner of election.
“The BVAS has eradicated the fraudulent observe/organized crime of sharing “un-used poll papers” thumb printed and arbitrarily allotted by occasion brokers in connivance with ballot officers after the shut of the ballot. The efficient energy to steer and govern has been restored to the Nigerian folks and hope is re-born in you to make use of this election to carry a couple of re-birth of a brand new Nigeria.”
He mentioned that he was impressed by the present unprecedented stage of consciousness, the power and dedication by Nigerians, lots of whom returned to the nation from totally different components of the world to make use of this forthcoming Saturday elections to make a daring assertion to the empirical world that they’ll not settle for the misfortune created by our elites as their fortune.
“Collectively, all of us should put an finish to the wrestle to construct particular person paradises but we reside in a standard hell. We should go about this election peacefully and eschew violence that has no place in a democracy. The best promise of democracy is peaceable switch of energy from one authorities to a different.
“The president and commander-in-chief of the armed forces has at totally different fora charged officers and males of the assorted Safety companies to be impartial, apolitical, agency, defend and defend this democracy. The anti-democratic actions of thugs and different extra-constitutional actors that may undermine the integrity of our elections should be contained.
“The best legacy that might be written down by historians for President Muhammadu Buhari and for which he might be remembered by historical past could be that of a free, truthful and credible election that produces an end result that displays the desire of the Nigerian folks. As l have mentioned repeatedly, my curiosity and votary always is a reputable, truthful course of whereas the citizens determines outcomes.”
