TheCable

The Labour Party (LP) has called for the immediate dismissal and prosecution of Mahmood Yakubu, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The party and its presidential campaign council asked the international community to take “punitive action” against Yakubu and other top officials of the electoral body over the conduct of the 2023 elections.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, Akin Osuntokun, the director-general of the Obi-Datti presidential campaign, called for the investigation of the financial allocations and donors’ funds to INEC for the elections.

“We commend the international community and civil society for their continued support in growing and consolidating our democracy,” he said.

“It is now only logical bolstered by the final observer group reports that the international community should take immediate and appropriate punitive action against Professor Mahmud Yakubu, Barrister Festus Okoye and other top administrative and field staff of INEC directly complicit in the desecration of these elections.

“We also demand unequivocally the immediate dismissal from office and prosecution of Prof Mahmud Yakubu and the commencement of forensic financial investigation into the expenditure of budgeted disbursements and donors’ funds received by INEC.”

Speaking further, the party condemned those who criticised the report of the European Union (EU) election observation mission in Nigeria on the 2023 polls.

“The Labour Party and the Obi-Datti presidential campaign organisation condemn vehemently the negative and jaundiced responses on the EU report and other election observers’ reports by the spokesperson of APC administration and other ill-informed persons, which are totally in discord with the mood of the nation at this time and which also present an embarrassing contrast to their selective celebration of the 2019 election reports, from these same observer groups,” Osuntokun added.

“We advise that those who have deployed hired protesters to the offices of the EU in respect of their election report desist from any further wastage of public funds as the objective of intimidation is without basis and has failed from the beginning.

“Indeed, the irregularities in the elections were so excessively glaring with bitter personal and reported experiences by the overwhelming majority of Nigerians.”