By; JACOB ONJEWU DICKSON
The youth wing of apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation says the decisions arising from both the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal on the 2023 general elections have vindicated the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) with most of the cases dispensed with by the Supreme Court in which the victory of all the governors were upheld.
The Appeal Court also validated the election of most of the National and State Assembly members, with only a few going for a rerun.
In a statement made available to journalists, the National President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike, said the INEC chairman, Prof Yakubu Mahmood has proven doubting Thomases wrong.
Okwu noted that many expected a mass sack of governors and lawmakers, but that was not to be.
“All the judgements delivered so far are clear indications that the INEC to a very large extent conducted a credible election across the country.
“We are not saying the exercise was completely flawless, but one must take into consideration the fact that no country conducts an election that is 100 percent error free.
“However, from what has happened so far, the Prof Yakubu Mahmood-led INEC has been vindicated.
“We want to commend the INEC helmsman for a job well done; he no doubt conducted one of the best elections in the country. That no governor was removed is a testament to the credible process spearheaded by Prof Mahmood,” he said.
He added that with the election over, it was now time for Nigerians to pursue major reforms in the electoral act that would block all the loopholes in the existing laws.
Okwu said, “what we witnessed in the litigation process is that some of the sections of the electoral act have flaws. This should not in any way be blamed on the INEC.
“So, it is incumbent on all the stakeholders to identify these observed lapses and push for a further amendment of the relevant sections of the electoral act.”
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