The National Association of Nigerian Students has asked those aggrieved about the outcome of the 2023 general elections to go to court and seek redress.
The association in a statement by its Vice President, Akinteye Babatunde, also chided former president Olusegun Obasanjo, for calling for the cancellation of the presidential election results.
Obasanjo had in a letter urged President Muhammadu Buhari to cancel the presidential and National Assembly elections for not passing the credibility and transparency test.
He further urged President Buhari to reschedule such cancelled election along with areas where elections were disrupted for next Saturday, March 4, 2023
Obasanjo argued that the BVAS and server officials for the elections should also be changed.
Warning Obasanjo not to set the country on fire, the students’ association said it was disappointed by the letter written by the former president, asking Nigerians not to take him serious.
The statement read, “Anarchy is never an option in a democratic system with a reliable judiciary system and other constituted authorities that have been addressing political issues from time immemorial.
“NANS hereby enjoins Nigerians to eschew violence at this fragile stage of the nation. Fanning the flame of anarchy, nihilism and lawlessness in a nation where we have constituted authorities and an ever-working judicial system will take Nigeria backward in several ramifications.
“The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has started well and I’m pretty sure that they will finish well. For them to declare as winners some parties and their candidates, who rose to relevance less than six months ago in some mega states is a significant indication that the umpire is not bias.
“Results were cancelled in several pulling units across the country and returning officers didn’t hesitate to mention them each time while declaring the results of their states. This should serve enough as a litmus test results that the umpire is up to the task and will surely deliver to their promises if given the needed chance and peace of mind in an enabling environment.
“I’m not of the opinion that the election was generally free and fair but I won’t forget to say that Nigerians are watching the INEC officials at the National Collation Centre, Abuja as they give the party agents and others the privilege to state their complains and also promised them to look into them and bring solutions to them.
“There has not been any election in Nigeria where one or two political parties or persons have not challenged the outcome. They seek redress in the court of law and often times, mandates are being claimed by the rightful owners of these positions based on the evidences at hand and the competence of their legal team. We can continue to count on the judiciary as the last resort of the common man and I’m highly optimistic that they won’t trade their reputations for crumbs.
“I’d hereby implore aggrieved parties and persons to go to court with their evidences to seek for justice and I’m sure they will get it. The court is the last resort of the common man. All aggrieved parties and persons can as well use the opportunity to reclaim their mandates without having to shed blood, maim and destroy people’s properties unnecessarily.
“I’d also advise the Nigerian youth to resist vehemently any attempt by some individuals or group of individuals to take advantage of the sensitivity of matters at hand to disrupt the relative peace that the nation is enjoying at this crucial moment. My prayer is that anyone who emerges as Nigeria’s President in this election should bring prosperity and progress to Nigeria. If your patriotism ends with your candidate, then you’re not patriotic at all and you could be taken for a hypocrite.”
