•Atiku and Yakubu
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, through his media aide Paul Ibe, has urged the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, to release what he described as the “comprehensive results” of the 2023 presidential election before the end of his tenure.
Ibe, in a post on X yesterday, said Yakubu should make public the detailed results from the polling units, even if they had been tampered with, to put to rest the lingering controversies over the conduct of the election.
He maintained that such disclosure would address public doubts surrounding the February 25 election and the subsequent announcement of President Bola Tinubu as the winner in the early hours of March 1, 2023.
In another development, indications have emerged that INEC has affirmed the Shehu Gabam-led national executives of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) as the authentic leadership of the party, reports The Guardian.
This came to light following a correspondence by INEC to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command of the Nigeria Police requesting for the names of the authentic officials of the party in a bid to address the agelong leadership crisis rocking the party.
The letter, which was signed by the Secretary to the Commission, Rose Oriaran-Anthony, and addressed to the Commissioner of Police, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, acknowledged that Gabam remains the chairman of the party based on the outcome of the national convention of the party held on June 8, 2022.
The letter also acknowledged, among others, that Dr Olu Agunloye remains the national secretary of the party, Rufus Aiyenigba as the national publicity secretary, Ogbonna Uchechukwu as Speaker of the Youth Parliament and Joseph Abuh as the National Organising Secretary of the party.
Reacting, Gabam commended the Nigeria Police Force for taking the appropriate action at last for seeking clarification from the electoral body rather than relying on falsehood from desperate politicians who were out to destroy the party because of their selfish interests.
Gabam, therefore, cautioned those still parading themselves as members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party outside the INEC authenticated list to stop such illegal acts, as the appropriate security agencies would arrest them for impersonation and be prosecuted according to the laws of the land.
He reaffirmed that the party under his leadership remained committed to providing platforms for committed Nigerians to provide good governance for the citizens come 2027.
