By Chidi Nkwopara, OWERR1
President Muhammadu Buhari and the management of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), have been accused of “deceit, falsehood and impunity”, in the execution of the 2023 election exercise.
Also, the judiciary has been warned against any acts of complicity in the bungling and fraudulent execution of the just concluded elections while attending to the barrage of petitions before them.
The accusation formed part of the 120-page Presidential Address, which the Anglican Archbishop of Owerri Ecclesiastical Province, Most Rev. Dr. David O. C. Onuoha, delivered weekend, at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Ezeoke Nsu, Ehime Mbano local council area of Imo State.
His words: “We congratulate Nigerians for exercising their right to choose their leaders, in the last general elections that gulped nearly N400 billion of tax payers money.
“However, despite all the promises and assurances, INEC, to the embarrassment, astonishment and bewilderment of all, kidnapped the future and hope for a better Nigeria.
“The deceit, falsehood and impunity employed in this particular election, especially that of the President, is unprecedented in the history of nation’s history.
“An ample opportunity to get things right and reposition Nigeria for greatness, was sacrificed on the altar of greed, deceit, selfishness and impunity.
“The INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, should be declared the number one enemy of Nigeria. I recommend a national award of Grand Enemy of the Federal Republic, GEFR, for him. In saner climes, he would have either resigned or be arrested and charged for sabotage of Nigerian electoral process.”
Archbishop Onuoha equally commended Nigerians for “the maturity in handling the aftermath of the election, by rejecting the option of demonstrations and violence and choosing to be civil”.
To the judicial officers, Onuoha said: “Now that the matters are before the courts, we passionately appeal to our judicial officers to endeavour to be fair and just in handling the petitions before them.
“We expect that falsehood will be exposed and truth upheld. It may be necessary at this stage, to find out why politicians would always be too happy to ask the aggrieved to go to court, after perpetrating obvious electoral fraud.
“The usual slang of ‘declare me winner and let him go to court’, indicates a major flaw in our electoral jurisprudence. This is because the court, in most cases, has confirmed those electoral fraud and manipulations, thereby giving a stamp of authority to illegality.
“We are worried that the high level of impunity witnessed in our society today, especially in electoral matters, portends grave danger to our nation, if not arrested urgently.
“The civil disobedience that might follow any attempt to stamp judicial authority on the scam, the 2023 presidential election turned out to be, will not be good for anyone.
“We must always remember that make oppression possible, also make struggle for liberation inevitable. We therefore, call for a review of our laws, with a view to removing any provision that may encourage evil and embolden wrong doers.
“Judicial officers must be bold and courageous in the discharge of their duties to save this society from anarchy.”
