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Osun Poll: Police, military, INEC don’t belong to APC, Atiku
🇳🇬 Nigeria /Conflict & Security

Osun Poll: Police, military, INEC don’t belong to APC, Atiku

From Vanguard · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar urged Nigeria's electoral commission and security agencies not to favor the ruling APC in the Osun governorship election.
  • Abubakar warned that excessive security deployment made the civil election resemble a military operation and questioned its necessity.
  • He also demanded transparency from INEC and raised concerns about discrepancies in President Tinubu's Chicago State University certificate submitted to the electoral body.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has issued a stern warning to Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies, urging them to remain impartial in the upcoming Osun governorship election. Abubakar cautioned against using state institutions to unfairly benefit the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), emphasizing that these bodies belong to the Nigerian people, not a single political party.

Elections are civil engagements, not military operations. Ballot papers are not bullets. Voters are not enemy combatants. Opposition members are not insurgents.

— Atiku AbubakarDescribing the nature of elections and contrasting it with the heavy security presence.

Speaking at the ADC National Youth Leadership Summit in Abuja, Abubakar described the Osun election as a crucial test for Nigeria's democratic credentials. He expressed concern over the significant security deployment, stating that the scale and posture of the forces risked making a civil democratic exercise appear like a military operation. He questioned why such overwhelming security capacity was mobilized for an election when citizens continue to face attacks from terrorists, kidnappers, and bandits.

Abubakar also directed his concerns towards INEC, cautioning the commission against any actions that could frustrate voters or compromise the election's integrity. He called for the timely arrival of electoral materials, unhindered voting, honest vote counting, and transparent transmission of results. "The eyes of Nigerians and the international community will be on Osun," he declared, urging all involved institutions to allow voters to freely determine the outcome.

The police belong to Nigeria. The military belongs to Nigeria. INEC belongs to the Nigerian people. None of them belongs to the APC.

— Atiku AbubakarAsserting the non-partisan nature of state institutions.

In addition to election-related concerns, Abubakar revisited the controversy surrounding President Bola Tinubu's Chicago State University certificate. He demanded clarification on alleged discrepancies between the certificate submitted to INEC, dated June 22, 1979, and other university records. Abubakar highlighted reported differences in signatures and degree descriptions, as well as the appearance of university officials' names on documents dated prior to their tenure, raising questions about potential certificate alterations.

The world is watching Osun. Nigerians are watching. History is taking notes. Let the people vote. Let every vote count. And let the will of the people prevail.

— Atiku AbubakarEmphasizing the importance of a free and fair election in Osun.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Vanguard in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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