The National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) has urged US President Joe Biden not to recognize the government of Nigeria’s President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, until the ongoing legal challenge to his victory is resolved.
NADECO also accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of flagrantly violating the Electoral Act of 2022 by failing to transmit election results in real-time from polling units to servers as promised.
This was stated in a communique issued by NADECO yesterday at its Extraordinary Summit in Washington, DC.
The communiqué, signed by Lloyd Ukwu, NADECO’s Executive Director, urged the US not to recognize an independent Nigeria.
incoming Nigerian government until the Supreme Court thoroughly and transparently examines the 2023 election process, as the United States did with Kenya’s elections in 2022.
The group also advised the US government to immediately impose Magnitsky Act sanctions on anyone found to have hampered or undermined the 2023 election process, using all available sanctions against such individuals.
It also enjoined the US to use the late Gen. Sani Abacha’s loot, which is currently being forfeited in US District Court, to compensate victims of Nigerian election violence.
“Disclose and release all available records pertaining to the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, which are now at issue in the election petitions, to the courts for adjudication,” the petition added.
Furthermore, NADECO claimed that INEC on it.
It also proposed that the Supreme Court of Nigeria and election tribunals consider election challenges in a timely and transparent manner, and that in the case of the presidency, if no final determination on the results of the February 20, 2023 election is reached before the scheduled May 29, 2023 inauguration, the constitution must be followed.
It argued that the constitution calls for the Senate President to serve as acting president for three months in order to chart a legal transition of power in Nigeria.
The communiqué stated:
“To achieve these goals, our legal panel also recommended that the petitioners and the court issue a writ of mandamus order requiring INEC to review all parties’ objections and reevaluate the election results within seven days.” days, as required by law, which INEC did not do.
“Given the global interest, import, and importance of the elections, the tribunal’s proceedings should be broadcast live.” In this regard, we applaud the start of tribunal hearings, where all parties have pledged to expedite the process.
That the Nigerian Supreme Court, the Nigerian Government, and all of its security agencies, including the Department of State Service (DSS), refrain from hastily swearing in or facilitating the swearing-in of any of the 2023 Presidential Candidates until all available remedies have been exhausted.
“Alternatively, given the widespread dissatisfaction and rejection of the electoral process by Nigerians both at home and abroad, the Nigeria Supreme Court is urged to rely on the ‘political question doctrine’ to avoid the polarizing nature of the case.”
of its decision on the 2023 presidential elections, and order INEC to hold a new election in accordance with the requirements of the Nigerian Constitution, the 2022 Electoral Act as amended, and INEC’s own guidelines.”
The body also advocated for the decentralization and unbundling of the Nigerian Police in order to effectively maintain law and order throughout the country.
It argued that a single police system had become antiquated and insufficient for effectively and adequately policing a country as populous as Nigeria with such a large land mass.
It also challenged the Nigerian government to always follow the rule of law, regardless of the outcome, pointing out that the government had been selective in its application of the law.
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