Jonathan Nwokpor
The United Nigerians in the Diaspora (UND) leadership has announced that it will launch a large-scale street protest against Nigerian embassies in Washington, DC, other US cities, London, and other major cities in Europe and Asia. The protest is directed at Professor Mahmoud Yakubu, the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and Godswill Akpabio, the president of the Senate.
The diaspora group demanded that Senate President Akpabio stand down because of accusations of budget padding made against him by certain senators and that the INEC chairman step down due to what they called “the conduct of a shambolic 2023 general elections.”
The group asked for cooperation from the international community during the protest periods. It urged other countries that uphold ideal democracy, such as the United States, Great Britain, and others, to forbid the INEC National Chairman and his team, Senate President Akpabio, and the highest echelons of the Nigerian judiciary from entering their countries. The statement was released on Monday in Abuja and was signed by the group’s president worldwide, Ambassador Yusuf Adeyinka, and general secretary worldwide, Comrade Johnson Acheme.
The diaspora group applauded Senator Ningi for his bravery in exposing the National Assembly’s budget fraud.
“We, the leadership of United Nigerians in the Diaspora, UND- an umbrella body of diaspora groups comprising of Nigerians living in the United Kingdom, the United States of America, 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 put the records straight, the 2023 elections where the ineptly corrupt Commission claimed it spent a whooping N300 Billion Naira was not only the most expensive but also the most incredible in our 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 platforms 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 elections 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 it would curb the electoral manipulations and malpractices which our electoral system has been known with through the manual accreditation and collation of elections results.”
The statement claims that the most concerning thing is that the Tinubu administration is still deliberately positioning Professor Mahmoud to potentially perfect another fraudulent spectacle under the pretence 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 a 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 should stop them from making or getting any form of international honour, recognition or participating in it’s activities and engagements.
“Finally, we solicit the usual co-operation of the International Community during these periods and also urge foreign nations who practice ideal democracy like the great Britain, 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 enobblers.”
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