Road to 2023: INEC, other stakeholders must avoid pushing Nigerians into street revolution, Intersociety warns  

From Aloysius Attah, Onitsha

Leading southeast based civil rights group, International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) has warned the

the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other critical stakeholders in Nigeria’s present electoral process  to   avoid pushing tens of millions of impoverished, disenchanted, suppressed and frustrated Nigerian youths and eligible voters into moving from  ‘ballot revolution’ to street revolution’ in the forthcoming 2023 general election.

In a statement released in Onitsha Wednesday signed by Board Chairman of Intersociety, Emeka Umeagbalasi and Chinwe Umeche, Head Democracy and Good Governance Project, the group said  INEC  was  playing  pranks on voters’ registration in the southeast and other  Christian dominated parts of the country  resulting in  forced massive disenfranchisement of the electorates ahead of the general election.

Intersociety said INEC and other critical stakeholders including leading political players and their parties must  come clean by doing the needful so as to avoid setting the country ablaze.

The group also fumed on the brazen monetisation of the polity by political gladiators during the presidential  party primaries of  major political parties  noting that a $25,000 (N15m) presidential primary delegate bribe  allegedly offered by one of the aspirants can pay three years remunerations of a Nigerian University professor even when universities have remained on strike in the country.

It said that unlike in the past such as in 2011 and 2019 when some leading northern political players reportedly  hid under radical religion(s) to organize and sponsor post election mayhem targeted majorly at members of the Igbo ethnic nationality and their Trado-Judeo-Christian faith; INEC and other critical stakeholders in the country’s electoral process must inexcusably get it right this time around and in 2023 to avoid the explosion of post election crisis of unquenchable proportions across the country.

“Through the conspiracy of the same INEC, millions of eligible voters of old Eastern Nigeria and Midwest resident in North-Central States of Plateau, Benue, Niger, FCT, Kogi and Nasarawa; Northeast States of Borno, Taraba, Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe and Yobe; Northwest States of Kaduna, Sokoto, Kano, Jigawa and Kebbi; and Southwest States of Lagos and Ogun were denied and are still being denied demographic or registration and voting center accessibility for them to be captured as voters and allowed to vote during elections.”

“Millions of members of the sedentary Southeast and South-South population have also been disenfranchised by INEC by deliberately denying them to be captured as registered voters with PVCs hiding under ‘technical hitches’ or at the polling units in the Election Day. These are sharply in contrast with what was obtainable in the North especially its Muslim held areas where most of the eligible voters were not only captured to vote with PVCs but also millions of underage and illegal aliens were registered as voters with PVCs and allowed to vote during elections.”

“Some of those aspiring to be next leaders of Nigeria in 2023; among them are former governors and ministers or present State or Federal public office holders are busy sharing millions of naira per delegate at their parties’ convention to pick their Party’s presidential flag bearer. This is to the extent that one of them was caught by proxy shamelessly sharing $25,000 or N15m per delegate to bribe the delegates into voting him as a presidential candidate, which is a three years full remuneration of a professor.”

The group said a  ‘Ballot Revolution’  targeted at flushing out “Senile-Crats” and “Kakistocrats” is in the offing during the coming elections.

“This explains why INEC and others must avoid being the willing tools for the named clique of immoral, nasty and brutish political players riotously attempting to stage another political comeback and mass enslavement. The Commission must therefore be told and advised in clear terms to toe the path of wisdom and coherent reasoning and avoid the dangers of plunging the country into ‘Street Revolution’.

“This is because Nigeria will fare far better in ‘Ballot Revolution’ than being pushed on the path of ‘Street Revolution’. INEC must therefore provide level grounds for all citizens of voting age in the country to participate unhindered in the forthcoming 2023 electoral process. This, the Commission must get right starting from the ongoing voters’ registration and revalidation exercise to the Election Day voting proper. No citizen of the country irrespective of tribe or religion must be deprived of this constitutional fundamental human right.” The statement noted.