The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has renewed his criticism of the conduct of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) during the 2023 general election, alleging that the electoral body worked in the interest of the ruling party.
Obi specifically accused the immediate past Chairman of INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, of failing to live up to the assurances given to Nigerians and the international community ahead of the election.
The former Anambra State governor made the remarks on Thursday during an interview on Arise Television’s Morning Show, where he reflected on the lessons he said were drawn from the outcome and conduct of the 2023 polls.
According to Obi, he and others placed too much confidence in the assurances coming from the electoral commission, particularly the promises made by its former chairman regarding the preparedness of INEC to conduct a credible election.
“We took things for granted in 2023. Not anymore. We believed what INEC was saying because the chairman then was busy travelling all over the world, telling the world that he and his team were prepared to do the right thing when actually doing the opposite.
“Everybody knows that INEC did not do the right thing. Even the chairman himself knows. I don’t want to meet him. He knows in his heart. Those who think about yesterday and today will meet tomorrow. For me, it’s gone. It’s finished,” he said.
Obi maintained that, despite the assurances of impartiality given before the election, the actions of the electoral body during the polls left him convinced that the commission had worked for the ruling party.
The NDC presidential candidate said the experience of the 2023 election had, however, shaped his approach going forward, stressing that the mistakes and assumptions made during the last electoral cycle would not be repeated.
