Enugu 2023: Avert looming bloodshed, Iyere warns INEC

Nigeria’s humanitarian activist and social entrepreneur, Comrade Kennedy Iyere has warned INEC against the delay in declaring the winner of the 2023 Enugu Guber Poll, who in his own opinion is Barr Peter Mbah of the PDP.

In a statement on Wednesday, Iyere said Barr. Mbah defeated his closest rival, Chijioke Edeoga of the Labour Party.

He affirmed that going by the overall results collated, Prof Iwe would have no excuse for not declaring Barr Peter Mbah the winner of the election because he met the requirements.

“Prof Iwe for reasons he is yet to tell the world, decided not to announce the actual winner of the 2023 guber poll. Barr Peter Mbah of the PDP won the election.

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“He deserved to have been declared immediately after the collation of the overall results. His counterparts who were the Returning Officers in Lagos, Rivers and Ebonyi, discretionally declared their winners despite the flaws that characterised the polls. But in the case of Enugu, which was relatively peaceful, Prof Iwe allegedly acted under instructions not to declare the winner.

“This unhealthy political development is currently gathering clouds of violence. Both INEC and Prof Iwe must at this point take urgent steps to forestall a looming anarchy by ensuring that the winner of the collated 2023 Enugu guber poll, is declared with no further delays”, says Iyere.

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Pressure and tensions are mounting high in Enugu State. The steps INEC has taken thus far, allegedly created suspicion among the indigenes of Enugu State, who largely believed that INEC has been compromised by certain political cabals whose interest is to compel INEC to manipulate the results in favour of their candidate who actually lost the election to Barr Peter Mbah.

“The Collation Centre is not an Electoral Tribunal where issues relating to alleged vote-rigging are addressed. I am sure Prof Iwe should have known this reality. This is why he needs to act now, else the ongoing post-election protests will lead to violent conflict.and this could lead to Bloodshed. This needs to be proactively averted”.

He asked the INEC Chairman and Prof Iwe, not to delay further in declaring  the winner of the 2023 Enugu Poll. Iyere urged both Prof Mahmood Yakubu and Prof Iwe to save a life.