We Were Pressured To Ask INEC To Cancel 2023 Presidential Elections – Gen Abdulsalami
According to report by vanguard news on Saturday 17,08,2024: National Peace Committee Unveils Pressure Tactics During 2023 Presidential Election
On Friday, the National Peace Committee (NPC) disclosed details of behind-the-scenes pressures and maneuvers that took place during the 2023 Presidential Election. The committee revealed that it faced significant pressure to persuade the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to either halt the collation of results or cancel the election altogether.
The NPC, led by former Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar, presented its findings in a comprehensive 106-page report titled, “Nigeria’s Pursuit of Electoral Compliance: National Peace Committee NPC 2023 General Elections Report,” during an event in Abuja.
Prior to the public release of the report, the committee had met with INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu and other senior officials to review preparations for the upcoming Governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states.
The NPC is composed of several notable figures, including Okoh Ebitu Ukiwe (Vice Chairman), Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah (Convener), Sultan of Sokoto Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, and prominent business figures such as Aliko Dangote and Femi Otedola. Other members include Vanguard Newspapers Publisher Sam Amuka Pemu, Ameze Guobadia, Idayat Hassan, Dame Priscilla Kuye, Gen. Martin Luther Agwai, Mahmud Yayale Ahmed, Channels TV owner John Momoh, Roseline Ukeje, and Fr. Atta Barkindo, who serves as the Head of Secretariat.
The report highlights the intensity of the situation on election day: “As the election day progressed, criticisms and counter criticisms became abundant. The NPC was already being faced with a flurry of phone calls and the need to call INEC to order. The Peace Committee was flooded with requests for intervention. Both the Chairman of the Committee, General Abdulsalami A. Abubakar, the Convener, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, and the Head of NPC Secretariat, Fr. Atta Barkindo, were inundated with calls, requests, and petitions demanding the intervention of the NPC.”
