Should INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu be arrested? Nigerians vote

Following INEC’s declaration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as winner of the 2023 presidential elections, Nigerians have been agrieved at the commission’s chairman, Mahmood Yakubu for allegedly manipulating election results.

The INEC chairman has been accused of working for the APC candidate during the elections as both individuals and groups in Nigeria and in diaspora have since after the declaration, made several calls on the Chairman and the judiciary to nullify the election results and either declare Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) as winner or order a rerun of the elections.

While the commission has maintained its stand that the 2023 elections were free and fair, Nigerians are still not convinced. This has led to the formation of countless spiteful shots targeted at the INEC boss, including a song named after the INEC chairman, “Yakubu.”

Nigerian rappers, Folarin Falana, professionally known by his stage name, Falz and Vector were the voices behind the soundtrack.

Both rappers criticized INEC, its chairman, and other political parties that were reportedly complicit in the alleged election rigging.

In a recent development, a tweep identified as Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour Stan originated an open ballot, asking netizens to vote if they want the INEC chairman to be arrested.

As netizens express their thoughts by voting, Xclusiveloaded has observed that the poll has thus far not been in favour of the INEC boss as most votes are in support of his arrest.

As at the time of filing this report, the poll had accumulated about 501 votes (loves) in support of Yakubu’s arrest and 175 votes (retweets) against his arrest.

In another development, Dr Charles Odogwu, an ardent supporter of the Obidatti presidential bid has called on the judiciary, urging them not to murder Nigeria’s democracy.

Dr Charles in a tweet, wondered if Nigeria was immune to a military coup unlike other African countries while reminding the judiciary that the military is also watching the unfolding of events at the Presidential Elections Tribunal.

He wrote: “Is Nigeria immune to coup?The Judiciary must know that beyond the Obidients, the MILITARY is also watching! Do not murder our democracy! #AllEyesOnTheJudiciary #TinubuMustGo High Court”

Presidential candidates of the Labour Party, LP and People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar respectively, had in separate suits, filed a petition at the Presidential Elections Tribunal, challenging the results of the 2023 elections.

Both petitioners alleged that the electoral umpire contributed significantly in the manipulation of the electoral process which produced Bola Tinubu of the APC as winner of the presidential election.

Recall that INEC’s Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, had on March 1, returned Tinubu as the winner of the February 25 elections with 8,794,726 votes while Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi of were said to have scored 6,984,520 votes and 6,101,533 votes, respectively.

Besides faulting the figures which Obi and Atiku have claimed were incorrect because the collation of results was still ongoing when Mahmood returned Tinubu as the winner, the petitioners also claimed that Tinubu cannot be said to have won the election having not scored 25% of the lawful votes cast in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The petitioners have also argued that besides the two petitions already submitted, Tinubu ought not to be on the ballot because of an alleged United States District Court judgment that ordered his forfeiture of 460,000 US dollars suspected to be proceeds of drug trafficking.

Both cases remained pending in the PEPT until the candidate of the PDP in a recent turn out of events, amongst other candidates challenging the result, withdrew their respective cases for lack of substantial evidence against the APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission leaving only Labour Party’s Peter Obi in court.

Emerging reports from the elections tribunal has raised concerns across various quarters as individuals and corporate bodies are calling on the judiciary not to betray the trust of Nigerians in the nations’ judicial system.