LAGOS, Nigeria – Ayo Adebanjo, the leader of the Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, has challenged the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) declaration of Bola Tinubu, candidate of the All Progressives Congress, as the winner of the February 25 presidential election.
According to the revered statesman, Nigeria has no President-elect at the moment.
In a recent interview with Arise TV, Pa Adebanjo boldly criticized the election process and its result, dubbing it a “sham that will be pulled in due course.”
"I can assure you there is no President-elect, what we have is a sham that will be pulled in due course. INEC jettisoned constitutional methodology and must explain to Nigerians why" — Pa Ayo Adebanjo
IREV "Postinor 2" Wike #Khartoum Igbos Saraki "Lamidi Apapa" Obasanjo… pic.twitter.com/TrsSCTKSnz
— Regency Reporters (@Regency_NG) April 26, 2023
He accused INEC of abandoning constitutional methodologies and insisted the commission must provide answers to the Nigerian people.
“This is the result of a bad government. A disaster that God will help us to get rid of,” Adebanjo said.
“I can assure you there is no President-elect at all; it is just a sham that should be pulled in due course. Don’t play on it at all.
At 95 years old, Adebanjo is one of Nigeria’s most seasoned political figures. He questioned the transparency of the recent election, saying, “This is a game we all see. We are all living witnesses to it. Why don’t you [INEC] follow the laws that will guide the elections?”
Adebanjo also criticized Tinubu’s camp for deflecting from the core issue at hand by focusing on the critics rather than addressing the criticisms.
“Those who are criticising, they [Tinubu’s camp] leave the issue. They take up OBJ (Olusegun Obasanjo). The man says you did not comply with A, B, C. Reply to that? You pick up the messenger,” he stated.
“On this occasion now, it is not a question of whether you win or not? It is the method the law provides for the election. Have you followed it? Let them answer that. That’s the problem. Why are they beating about the bush?”
The INEC has yet to respond to Adebanjo’s accusations. Meanwhile, the country awaits further developments as this controversy unfolds.
