2023 Presidential Election an Embarrassment, Says US-based Atiku Support Group

•Calls for visa ban for election riggers

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

 A United States-based founder of Atiku Diaspora Support Group, Franklin Ekechukwu, has described the February 25 presidential election in Nigeria as an embarrassment and a travesty.

Describing it as a great disappointment, he called on United States and United Nations to make declarations  to support Nigerian people and reject all forms of election malpractices and violence in Nigeria.

The group further called on the US to reject all results, actions and events emanating from an election it said was marred by malpractice and violence and impose US visa ban on all those responsible for the malpractices

 “It’s an embarrassment and a slap to all Nigerians, and lovers of democracy, a sham, a travesty to the system, a rape of democracy and outright disregard and violation of the law,” he stated.

He alleged that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) arrogantly, deliberately, intentionally, and brazenly disregarded its own electoral guidelines, violated the electoral law of 2022, and totally abandoned the constitution of Nigeria.

Ekechukwu stated that the situation denied  the Nigeria people, the poorest of the poor, the weakest of the weak and the downtrodden their fundamental right of free and fair election.

“The report from the international community observers around the world strongly suggested a midnight robbery perpetrated by the same people appointed to defend and protect the masses, by not following the constitution, the electoral law, and their guidelines,” he added.

He called on the US and all defenders of democracy to hold the Nigerian umpire, the electoral commission responsible.

In what he said was the pursuit of justice, he called on the Nigerian judiciary to simply do the right thing and correct what he described as the injustice perpetrated by the electoral commission.

“Justice must be blind; the judiciary must deliver justice by upholding the law regardless of whose Ox is gored. The mandate of the people must be judiciously returned to the people regardless of who the winner is,” he demanded.

He also said that an order for immediate arrest of all involved in violating, most importantly the constitution, and the electoral law of 2022 must be made.

Ekechukwu stressed that constitutional democracy remains a process where the voiceless, the poorest of the poor and the weakest of the weak use the only tools they possess to make their voices heard.

 But he added that when that singular fundamental right within the constitution is denied, the powerful are simply telling them that they have no right to exist.