The Nigerian Young Professionals Forum (NYPF) has expressed its concerns about the conduct of the 2023 elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). In a statement released by the group’s chairman and former governorship candidate in Bayelsa State, Moses Siloko Siasia, the NYPF alleged that there were rampant cases of result manipulation across the country, which it said was an attempt to subvert the will of the people who voted in the presidential and National Assembly elections on Saturday.
The NYPF criticized the performance of INEC, saying that the hope and confidence in the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) had proven to be a wasted investment of people’s emotions in a system that has not been fully integrated and dependable. The group also decried the incidents of thuggery, ballot box snatching, voter intimidation, and suppression witnessed in some states like Lagos, Rivers, and others.
Siasia cautioned against any attempt to sabotage the will of Nigerians to rewrite their political history, warning that any failure to deliver the minimally acceptable level of results that reflects the will of the people will be met with strong resistance. The NYPF called on INEC to halt reports of officials conniving with party agents and others to bypass the BVAS or to thump print and produce fake results, and to punish those found culpable immediately.
The NYPF urged INEC to quickly upload and announce all election results across the country, saying that the unwarranted delay is creating doubts and calling into question the integrity of the election. The group emphasized that the 2023 election must not only be free and fair but must be seen as being so without any doubts.
The NYPF is one of several other groups, organizations, and political parties, including the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), that have questioned the integrity and sanctity of the 2023 election. The collation and announcement of results are currently ongoing.