’23 Gov-Assembly Elections: MMWG commends INEC, charges presidency to end naira scarcity

The Muslim Media Watch Group of Nigeria (MMWG) has commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for conducting a free and fair election on Saturday.

MMWG made the commendation while commenting on the gubernatorial and state assembly polls conducted on Saturday March 18, 2023.

In a statement signed by the group Director, Ibrahim Abdullahi, MMWG called for immediate and diligent prosecution of all those arrested for electoral crimes all over the federation.

The group also commended the security agencies on the success of the election.

It appealed to all to accept the results of the elections as might be released by the INEC in line with the peace accord usually signed before the elections are held.

MMWG stated that “Those who committed electoral crimes and arrested in the two segmental elections held this year throughout the federation must not be freed but tried appropriately in the courts of Law.”

It warned that in all elections held in the country so far, prosecution and punishment for election offences have been non-existent; adding that this year’s election must not go same way.

“We now have revised electoral laws that purnishes electoral offences,” it said.

It also called on the 9th National Assembly to pass the Bill submitted by the Executive for the establishment of National Electoral Offences’ Commission (NEOC) before the end of its tenure.

On vote-buying, the Group commended President Muhammadu Buhari on his fight against corruption including vote-buying.

It, however, called on him to give a Presidential Order immediately to the Central Bank of Nigeria to end the artificial scarcity created by the CBN on new and old Naira scarcity.

On the low turn-out of voters in the yesterday’s election, the group attributed it to lack of confidence in our democratic system by the people.

It added that most parties primaries that produced most of the contestants were full of infractions and shaddy deals; warning that for democracy to survive in Nigeria, there must be Political and Judicial Reforms.

It therefore tasked the incoming Administration to tackle the problems holistically and decisively.