By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
The Catholic Caritas Foundation of Nigeria has decried the February 2023 general election flaws and urged the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to apologize for disappointing Nigerians in its failure to deliver their mandate during and after the election.
The Executive Director of the Foundation, Rev. Fr. Uchechukwu Obodoechina made this call on Friday during the presentation of the 2023 general election observation report in Nigeria by the Church and Society department of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria.
Rev. Fr. Obodoechina noted that observations revealed that millions of Nigerians were left disappointed with the overall performance of INEC in the conduct of the election, stating that the election was the most disputed in the history of Nigeria.
Giving a breakdown on the aftermath of the elections, he explained that with a total of 1,341 litigation instituted by 10 political parties trailing the outcome of the election and representing 90% of the 1,490 contested seats, there is no doubt the polls were the most litigated since 1959.
Furthermore, the Church has called for the adoption of the Justice Uwais Commission’s recommendation in the selection of INEC chairman to prevent a situation where the appointment of the chairman of the Commission remains with the executive arm of government.
INEC will never be independent, if the prerogative remains with the executive, he said.
