PRESSURE MOUNTS ON PEACE COMMITTEE TO HALT 2023 ELECTION RESULTS OVER 25% ABUJA THRESHOLD CONTROVERSY
By Ibekwe Blessing Ijeoma
The National Peace Committee (NPC) revealed that it faced significant pressure to urge the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to either halt the collation of results or cancel the 2023 Presidential Election that resulted in President Bola Tinubu's victory. The most prominent concern was the requirement for a 25% threshold in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.
Led by former Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar, the NPC disclosed this on Friday in Abuja while presenting its 106-page report on the 2023 General Elections titled "Nigerias Pursuit of Electoral Compliance: National Peace Committee NPC 2023 General Elections Report." The committee noted that numerous appeals were made to it, urging it to persuade INEC to stop collating results due to perceived violations and non-compliance with the electoral act. Other requests called for the cancellation of the election entirely, arguing that the principles of the Peace Accord had not been followed.
The report highlighted that, as election day progressed, the NPC received an overwhelming number of requests for intervention, with calls flooding in from all directions. Prominent figures such as General Abdulsalami A. Abubakar, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, and Fr. Atta Barkindo were inundated with petitions demanding NPC's intervention.
Some analysts argued that the final election result should not be announced because the president-elect did not meet the required 25% threshold in Abuja, as mandated by the electoral act, suggesting that a runoff might be necessary. For example, the Centre for Reform and Public Advocacy criticized the NPC's silence despite numerous election petitions and the potential significant consequences of the decisions.
The report further emphasized that many calls for the NPC to go beyond its mandate by interfering in the electoral process were misguided, as the NPC's role is primarily moral, focusing on promoting peace, preventing violence, and encouraging adherence to the rule of law. The NPC clarified that it does not have the authority to arrest or prosecute anyone but operates through moral persuasion and mediation.
Post-election, the NPC continued its engagement with political parties, youth groups, women-led organizations, persons with disabilities, security agencies, traditional rulers, religious leaders, and other stakeholders, including state-based peace structures. The committee acknowledged that many Nigerians are unaware of its limited role, which has led some to question the value of its moral interventions.
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