JAGISTS

Kenneth Okonkwo, One of the spokespersons for Peter Obi, the Labour Party, LP, presidential candidate in the February 25 election, has insisted that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had no intention of conducting a free and fair election in Lagos State.

He said INEC showed its unwillingness to conduct credible polls by retaining Olusegun Agbaje as its Resident Electoral Commission, REC.

Okonkwo also claimed citizens were bullied by thugs not to vote for the candidate of their choice

His statement is contained in a post via his Twitter handle on Saturday.

The veteran Nollywood actor alleged that Polling Unit presiding officers openly indicated that they would not upload and transmit results from the polling units.

According to Okonkwo, they said that was the instruction they received, stating that the development is criminal and clearly against the law.

Okonkwo wrote, “It’s a shame!! When Mahmood INEC retained Olusegun Agbaje as the INEC REC of Lagos, we knew that there is no intention to conduct a free and fair election in the March 18 gubernatorial and House of Assembly elections in Lagos State.

“Citizens are bullied by thugs not to vote for the candidate of their choice. Polling Unit presiding officers openly indicated that they will not upload and transmit results from the polling units. They said that was the instruction they received. This is clearly against the law and criminal. The security agencies must live up to the oath of their office by apprehending and prosecuting lawbreakers.

Lagosians must realise that private citizens have the right to arrest anybody who is committing crimes in their presence. They must arrest INEC Officers who are not conducting elections in accordance with the law and hand them over to the police. They must arrest the thugs too and hand them over to the police.

Above all, they must document all the occurrences happening. We cannot abandon Nigeria to thieves and touts. May God protect you and your family as you assert your right to vote as a free citizen of Nigeria.”