The leadership of the United Nigerians in the Diaspora (UND) has said it will embark on a massive street protest in some Nigerian embassies in Washington DC, some other US cities, London and other major cities in Europe and Asia, asking for the immediate resignation of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmoud Yakubu and the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.
The diaspora group believes the INEC chairman should resign over what they described as “the conduct of a shambolic 2023 general elections,” while Senate President Akpabio should step aside over some senators’ allegations of budget padding.
In a statement released Monday in Abuja, signed by its president worldwide, Ambassador Yusuf Adeyinka, and its general secretary worldwide, Comrade Johnson Acheme, the group solicited the cooperation of the International Community during the protest periods. Also, it urged foreign nations that practice ideal democracy, like Great Britain, the United States and other nations in the world, to bar the INEC National Chairman and his team members, Senate President Akpabio and indeed, the top echelon of the Nigerian Judiciary who participated in deciding the 2023 elections petitions tribunal matters, from entering their countries.
The diaspora group also commended Senator Ningi for his courage in exposing budget padding in the National Assembly.
“We, the leadership of United Nigerians in the Diaspora, UND, an umbrella body of diaspora groups comprising Nigerians living in the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and some European and Asian nations wish to alert Nigerians and the entire international community on our resolve to hit the streets and Nigerian Embassies in Washington DC, some other US cities, London and other major cities in Europe and Asia nations where our members are domiciled to protest the conduct of a shambolic 2023 general elections by the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Professor Mahmoud Yakubu and his rogue team.
As a body, we have carefully watched the antecedents and actions of the National Chairman vis-a-vis the current happenings and realities in Nigeria and wonder what the hell he is still waiting for to resign from that position. To clarify, the 2023 elections, for which the ineptly corrupt Commission claimed to have spent a staggering N300 billion, were both the most expensive and the most incredible in recent history.
“We recall first and foremost how the National Chairman and his Commissioner in charge of Public Affairs, a certain Dr. Festus Okoye, graced every available national and international platform, assuring Nigerians and the rest of the world of a most transparent election using the Biometric Voter Accreditation System, BVAS machines that would automatically transmit election results and data from the various polling units across the country to the Commission’s central server.
“These rather noble technological innovations were applauded as we all believed they would curb the electoral manipulations and malpractices that our electoral system has been known for through the manual accreditation and collation of election results.”
According to the statement, the most disconcerting fact is that Professor Mahmoud is still strategically positioned by the Tinubu administration to possibly perfect another fraudulent charade in the guise of elections for the incumbent government in 2027.
“For emphasis, this global body, while commending some of the Northern Senators like Senator Ningi for their courage to speak up on the alleged padding of N3 trillion Naira into the initially approved N25 trillion Naira by the President, gives the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, only 48 hours to honourably resign his position and face immediate prosecution. Should he fail to heed, we encourage members of the National Assembly to immediately commence the process of his impeachment, as he has manifestly demonstrated incapacity, corruption and collusion with the executive arm of government. He was ordinarily elected to checkmate in line with the principles of checks and balances as enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution.
“We also knock the Nigerian Judiciary for stamping the fraud and illegality dubbed 2023 elections by Mahmoud and cohorts. That arm of government has since then lost the honour, dignity and respect of many Nigerians who had relied on it as ordinarily the last hope of the common man to remedy the wrongs and defects in the 2023 elections.
The group, however, resolved to “commence peaceful protests in major cities and embassies in Washington DC, New York, London, Paris and numerous other cities where our members reside in their numbers. Through messages on our placards, we shall insist on the immediate resignation of the INEC National Chairman, Mahmoud Yakubu and, respectively, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.
“We shall continue our global protests and will not quit or stop until Mahmoud and Akpabio resign their positions as the National Chairman of INEC and as President of Nigeria’s Red Chambers. We also urge the United Nations, the European Union and other world bodies to stop them from making or getting any form of international honour, recognition or participating in its activities and engagements.
“Finally, we solicit the usual cooperation of the International Community during these periods and also urge foreign nations who practice ideal democracy, like Great Britain, the United States and other nations of the world to bar the corrupt INEC National Chairman and his rogue team members, Senate President, Akpabio and indeed, the top echelon of the Nigerian Judiciary who partook in deciding the 2023 Elections petitions tribunal matters, from entering their countries. They should confiscate their international passports, those of their wives and families, and ensure there is no hiding place for the Nigerian 2023 election robbers, their accomplices or their obviously corrupt enablers.”
