Amby Uneze in Owerri
The President of the
Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), Most Rev. Lucius Ugorji has
called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Mammod
Yakubu to promptly take adequate steps to address the lingering issues of
concern in order to diffuse the tension and in the interest of the common good
of the country.
Archbishop Ugorji who
is also the Archbishop of Owerri Catholic Diocese reminded INEC to ensure that
it does the right thing to ensure that the sanctity of the collective will of
the electorate is not violated, so as to restore the confidence of the
citizenry in the government and its institutions.
In his statement release
on Tuesday in Owerri, the cleric expressed displeasure on the delay in the
electronic transmission of the results of the polling units to the INEC Results
Viewing Portal (IReV) before their announcement at the collation centres which
had raised suspicion in the minds of Nigerians about the transparency of the
entire process.
He added that there is
palpable tension in the air and agitations not just by some political parties
but by a cross-section and majority of the Nigerian population, adding that the
inability of the commission to transmit the results through the IReV has no
doubt jeopardized the electoral process.
The Archbishop in his
message noted that “for a very long time, we have been praying for peaceful,
transparent and credible elections as well as an accurate transmission of their
results,” thanking God from saving our country, Nigeria from chaos, anarchy and
doom.
“Before the general
elections of 25 February, 2023, Nigerians were assured both by the Federal
government and by the Independent National Electoral Commission that enough
electoral reforms and preparation had been made to ensure that the sovereign
will of the people would be accurately reflected in the conduct of the
elections. Hence, people trooped out in their numbers to cast votes in order to
freely choose their next president and representatives at the senate and
federal house of assembly,” he said.
He, however, appealed
to all Nigerians to remain calm, law-abiding and fervent in prayers, enjoining
leaders of political parties to exercise restraint while trusting that INEC
would do something to remedy the problems highlighted by Nigerians.
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