A Northern group, Arewa Think Tank (ATT) has taken umbrage at former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s call for the sack of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, saying Obasanjo should blame himself for laying a poor foundation for INEC in 1999 when he presided over the affairs of the country for eight years.
ATT in a statement on Monday (today, November 18) by its Convener, Muhammad Alhaji Yakubu said: “It is, indeed, unpatriotic for Obasanjo, who admitted during his own period of electoral crisis that not even a Saint can conduct credible elections in Nigeria, to now accuse the government of failing in this regard.
“To say the least, Obasanjo’s track record on electoral integrity during his administration is questionable, if history should be kind to Nigeria.
“Obasanjo himself has admitted to having manipulated elections to ensure victory for his preferred candidates. The late President Umar Yar’adua even admitted that the election that brought him to power was flawed with irregularities.In light of this, it is difficult to take his criticisms of the current government seriously.
“It is therefore hypocritical for someone like Obasanjo, who has presided over flawed elections in the past, to now point fingers at others. If actually he cared so much about the integrity of the electoral process, he should reflect on his own past actions and work towards ensuring free and fair elections for all Nigerians”.
ATT recalled with displeasure that for the former President who once presided over a system riddled with all manners of corruption, whose presidency was characterized by electoral malpractices, his electoral integrity raises pertinent questions about the moral rights he has in criticising contemporary governance.
“Obasanjo’s tenure was a period during which the very foundations of Nigeria’s electoral processes were laid. But it was poorly laid.His administration witnessed elections marred by irregularities, where results were announced even as voters stood in queues,” Yakubu stressed.
“For the former president to now label the 2023 elections a ‘travesty’ is not only exaggerated but also a glaring display of inciting citizenry against constituted authority.
“We recalled with sadness and disappointment that Obasanjo’s administration was marred by a manual electoral process, often fraught with inefficiencies and opportunities for manipulation.
“So his criticisms of the current commission’s reliance on technology, such as the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Election Result Viewing Portal (IReV), does not hold water and amounted to a misplaced criticism.
“We have the strong view that all leaders should prioritize the interests of the citizenry and work towards building a transparent and accountable electoral system for the betterment of our dear country.
“However, ATT wishes to advise the current administration, under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to prioritize the establishment of a transparent and accountable electoral process since there is little or nothing to learn from the past. This has become necessary instead of being subjected to the distractions posed by past leaders who have failed to take responsibility for their actions and inactions.”
