Chidi Odinkalu, former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), has cautioned that Nigeria will suffer consequences if the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) “messes” with the Edo state gubernatorial election.
News About Nigeria reports that this is contained in a post on his X handle on Saturday.
Odinkalu said that there is hardly anywhere one can go in Nigeria without passing through Edo.
“If Mahmood Yakubu & @inecnigeria mess with #EdoDecides2024 like they habitually do in deliberate manner, all of #Nigeria will suffer it: there is hardly anywhere u can go to in Nigeria without passing through Edo… Not that the electoral bandit in charge of #INEC much cares,” he said.
On September 14, the former NHRC chairman wrote on his X account that Mahmood Yakubu, the INEC chairman, was “a thug and a bandit”.
Shortly afterward, he was chided by Kamson Chidubem, the convener of the Civic Integrity Initiative (CII), for “biased criticisms and media abuses” aimed at discrediting Yakubu’s leadership of INEC.
On Friday, former President Goodluck Jonathan appealed to INEC and security agencies to remain neutral in the discharge of their responsibilities during the governorship election in Edo State.
Jonathan said INEC and security agencies have a “moral burden” to act as “independent arbiters” during the election.
However, residents in Edo are prepared at the polls to elect who succeeds Godwin Obaseki, governor of the state, who is finishing his two-term term of eight years.
Although 17 political parties are participating in the election, the All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Labour Party (LP) are the major contenders.
The 17 political parties are battling for the votes of 2.2 million electorates in the election.
