Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Mahmood Yakubu, has reacted to calls by some partisans for him to resign, describing the development as misplaced.
Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, said the call by the Labour Party and the Peoples Democratic Party on the INEC Chairman to resign is misplaced.
He noted that the allegation by Dino Melaye that the INEC Chairman allocated scores to parties is unfounded and irresponsible.
“At the same time, contrary to the insinuation by both parties, results emanating from the States point to a free, fair and credible process”, said Oyekanmi in a statement.
According to him, there are laid down procedures for aggrieved parties or candidates to follow when they are dissatisfied about the outcome of an election.
He said such procedures do not include calling on the INEC Chairman to resign or for the election to be cancelled.
“To be sure, aggrieved parties are free to approach the courts to ventilate their concerns and wait for the matter to be resolved. Making inciting comments capable of causing violence or unrest is unacceptable.
“The 2023 General election processes are in their final stages of completion. It is only fair for aggrieved parties to allow the conclusion of the process and approach the courts with their evidences to pursue their cases”, Oyekanmi added.
Both the PDP and LP had on Tuesday addressed a joint press conference where they called for the resignation of the INEC chairman for perceived irregularities in last Saturday’s Presidential and National Assembly Elections.