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JUST IN: Anybody toying with 2023 elections, toys with Nigeria’s unity — Gen Ijioma
“INEC should concentrate and perform the duty assigned to it and not dabble into areas it’s not qualified to handle. If INEC knows what other people do not know, it should start saying it now”.
General Ijioma Nwokoro Ijioma (retd.), has warned that anybody fiddling with the 2023 elections is toying with Nigeria’s unity.
The retired General who sounded the warning in an exclusive interview with Vanguard was responding to Monday’s alarm by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, that the forthcoming polls might be cancelled or postponed if the growing wave of insecurity in parts of the country were not stemmed.
He warned that any attempt to tamper with the 2023 polls which he described as a defining moment in the political history of Nigeria, might spell doom for the country.
Gen Ijioma wondered why INEC which successfully conducted the governorship election in Anambra at the height of insecurity in the state is now muting the idea of postponing the forthcoming polls on the excuse of insecurity.
He argued that INEC lacks the competence to give accurate security assessments of the polls.
” It’s not good for people to leave their area of expertise and delve into an area they are not qualified to evacuate.The main duty of INEC is to conduct elections. There is no time INEC has the duty of security evaluation.
” If the Anambra State governorship election that ushered in Gov. Chukwuma Soludo was not cancelled or postponed why will INEC be talking of postponing the forthcoming polls?
” Before the Anambra election, it was as if the heavens were going to be let loose. If INEC did not recommend the cancellation or postponement of that election, why should INEC now become a security expert to start evaluating whether or not the 2023 elections will hold?”
Gen. Ijioma challenged INEC to ask the Federal Government to provide security for the elections if it observed any security challenge in any part of the country.
” INEC should not usurp another agency’s duties. It’s the Federal Government that has the duty to provide security, so, INEC should ask the Federal Government to provide security where it has observed there is insufficient security arrangement, and not to start raising alarm.
” They better wake up and be serious with their business. Their primary duty is to conduct elections and address genuine issues people have raised concerning the collection of PVCs.
” Why have they not been able to address that? Why are they leaving it and now dabbling into something else?”
He further challenged INEC to rather be concerned about how to address issues of the collection of Permanent Voter Cards PVCs, being raised by voters across the country instead of dabbling into the security sector.
” Is it insecurity that has stopped people from collecting their PVCs at various places where there are complaints? People come out and return without getting their PVCs after being in the queue for the whole day.”
Gen Ijioma asked INEC to better open up if the electoral umpire had any information not know to Nigerians on why the polls would not hold.
” So, if INEC has any ulterior motive, and they are now testing the waters, they better wake up the idea because if anything happens and the 2023 elections don’t hold, I tell you, it won’t be business as usual.
” This election is a defining moment in the political history of Nigeria. So, any human being that is thinking of toying with the elections is toying with the oneness of Nigeria. It may just spell doom and the end of the country.
“INEC should concentrate and perform the duty assigned to it and not dabble into areas it’s not qualified to handle. If INEC knows what other people do not know, it should start saying it now”.
