Posted by Amarachi on Fri 03rd Mar, 2023 - tori.ng
He stressed that INEC’s declaration of Tinubu as the winner was only temporal, thus backing Obi to challenge it legally.
Pa Ayo Adebanjo
Pa Ayo Adebanjo, the leader of the Pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, has stated that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, failed Nigerians by not conducting a credible election.
INEC declared Tinubu, the standard bearer of the All Progressives Congress, APC, as the winner of the presidential election and handed him the Certificate of Return on Wednesday having polled the highest votes of 8,794,726 from 12 states.
His main challengers, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party and Peter Obi of the Labour Party criticised INEC, alleging that the election was marred by irregularities. They also vowed to seek redress in court.
In his reaction to the development, Adebanjo, during an interview with Arise TV on Friday, stressed that INEC’s declaration of Tinubu as the winner was only temporal, thus backing Obi to challenge it legally.
“As of that election, there was no result. What they have done to Tinubu is like what they did to the Interim Government of Shonekan. It was a pyrrhic victory allowed. As the leader (presidential candidate) of the Labour Party, Peter Obi said, we will prove it in court,” Adebanjo said.
The nonagenarian leader said the INEC chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu disappointed Nigerians, as he referred to the incident at the National Collation Centre on Monday where PDP chieftain, Dino Melaye called that the irregularities in uploading results should be addressed.
“I listened to the chairman of INEC, when Dino Melaye told him to suspend results because of a lot of irregularities. He said, ‘why don’t you let us correct them before we proceed?’ He said, ‘No!’ But, INEC chairman said, ‘let me complete this exercise and I will review’.
“This is a daylight robbery. The whole country supported you (INEC Chairman) to amend the Electoral Law and you promised to transmit the result by electoral means. You now went back to what we have fought against. What a shame! This government is a disaster,” Adebanjo added.