Updated: March 3, 2021
A pro-democracy group in Nigeria has urged U.S. President Donald Trump not to congratulate President Muhammadu Buhari, saying he stole an election he lost.
Buhari was declared winner of the Saturday 23 February election by the Independent National Electoral Commission but his main challenger Atiku Abubakar has rejected the results, saying they were massively rigged.
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Atiku wondered why areas under Boko Haram attacks recorded more votes than peaceful states. He rejected the results, describing the election as a sham, and saying he would be heading to court.
In a statement and world press conference, Atiku said “democracy would not be emasculated in Nigeria “.
On Thursday, a Nigerian group, Mandate Protection Vanguard, expressed disappointment in the British Prime Minister Theresa May for sending a congratulatory message to President Muhammadu Buhari.
The group demanded an apology from Ms May, describing her action as “an endorsement of illegality.”
MPV National President, Celestine Eromonsele, in a statement sent to TODAY NEWS AFRICA in Washington D.C., asked Theresa May whether such a ‘sham’ called election is also acceptable in her country.
Eromonsele told the Prime Minister to independently seek for information from unbiased observers on what transpired on Saturday.
“Manipulations and rigging of the elections. What started as a peaceful election ended up being one of the most horrible daylight rape of our democracy. Ballot boxes were snatched and some destroyed by fire. Card readers were stolen and many tampered with to accept without verification and in many places card readers were not used at all.
“Pre-thumbprinted ballot papers were stuffed into the ballot box. Breach of the INEC security measure was evident with the use of 2015 stamps. Multiple voting by illegally acquired PVCs was used by APC members. Impersonations by people voting more than 20 times with different cards.
“We ask Theresa May whether standard used to conduct last Saturday’s presidential election in Nigeria where so many people died, ballot boxes snatched, military personnel deployed to the strongholds of the major opposition party, PDP to disenfranchise voters are what she termed free, fair and credible?”.
The group asked the Prime Minister to tell the world whether “it is because Gen. Muhammadu Buhari is patronising UK hospitals, reason she was endorsing illegality?
“If May is looking for business partners because of her problem with the European Union, she should look elsewhere because Nigerians are not docile, Nigerians won’t accept and allow the Prime Minister to encourage such an illegality in the country.”
While calling on the EU and the government of America not to congratulate President Buhari’s so called re-election, MPV urged other international community to reject the ‘sham’ in the name of fairness and best democratic practice.
“We hereby call on United States and the European Union not to tow the path of Theresa May. We urge EU to reject the election in the name of fairness.
“America is known for justice, European Union should stand firm against the sham and rape of of democracy going on in Nigeria.”
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