*Photo: Obasanjo*
The Ummah Movement, with headquarters at the National Islamic Centre (NIC), Dogarawa, Zaria, has asked the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to be deterred by the outburst of former president Olusegun Obasanjo on the collation of the presidential election.
Ummah Movement spoke in a statement issued on Tuesday and made available to The Shield Online.
In the statement signed by Prof. Muhammad Babangida , National Amir, NIC and titled IGNORE OBASANJO’S PROVOCATION, INEC CONCLUDE THE COLLATIONS, the group said
“The Ummah Movement, with headquarters at the National Islamic Centre (NIC), Dogarawa, Zaria, views with alarm the statement of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, seeking to poison the calm national mood, as results of national elections are being collated at state and national levels.
“We join other compatriots in urging the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and its leadership to ignore the unstatesmanlike, thinly-veiled partisan and unsubstantiated allegations of Obasanjo and whosoever supports him as callous distractions.
INEC should conclude the collation process according to its guidelines and return all lawfully elected persons according to due process.
” It should not join issues with a partisan interested party that chooses to ignore its clear guidelines.
” It’s Chairman should resist the personal blackmail implicit in Obasanjo’s statement of Monday 27th February, 2023. INEC should resist the temptation of seeking to appease by adopting any contraption or arrangement outside its laws and guidelines, proposed by Obasanjo and his co-travellers, whose hidden motives can only be guessed at, because they sensed that they have lost out in a fair and democratic contest.”
The Ummah Movement added that “In the spirit of democracy and the law, any party with a case should follow the laid down grievance procedure, and must not under any circumstance seek to truncate the conclusion of a free and fair election.
“We urge all Nigerians to maintain peace and respect law and order as we continue to pray for the peaceful transfer of political power in Nigeria at all levels.”