The Labour Party (LP) has rejected the outcome of the bye-elections, describing the process as a “mockery of democracy” and a “travesty of justice.”
In a statement by Senior Special Adviser, Media, Ken Asogwa, to interim national chairman, Nenadi Usman, the party said, “What transpired across Nigeria yesterday in the name of bye-elections was nothing short of a mockery of democracy, a travesty of justice against the Nigerian people, and a dangerous dress rehearsal of what may befall us in 2027 if citizens do not act swiftly to halt this brigandage.”
The LP claimed the elections were characterised by large-scale rigging, vote buying, and violence allegedly masterminded by APC agents, INEC officials, and security operatives.
The statement added, “From Kaduna to Anambra, Ogun to Oyo, and Kano, the narrative remained the same: large-scale rigging, brazen vote-buying, and violence defined the process. Independent accounts confirmed that the ruling APC – often in collusion with security agencies – stood at the very centre of these shameful acts that desecrated our electoral space.”
It continued, “If INEC cannot conduct minor off-season elections with integrity, one shudders at the thought of how it intends to manage the nationwide polls of 2027. True to character, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) under Professor Mahmoud Yakubu did not disappoint.”
The Labour Party further said, “Two years after the brazen electoral heist that robbed the Labour Party and the Nigerian people of their mandate, we had hoped that the passage of time would inspire Yakubu to at least attempt a semblance of redemption – a pretence at leaving behind a legacy. Yesterday’s outing has proven that such expectations were misplaced.
We, therefore, call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to rise to the occasion and rescue our democracy from imminent collapse. The charade witnessed yesterday must not be allowed to define future elections.”
David-Chyddy Eleke
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