The National Human Right Commission, says it would invite Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello and the Chairman of Lagos State Parks Management Committee, Musiliu Akinsanya a.k.a MC Oluomo for questioning, over their hate speech, and alleged inciting comments during the 2023 presidential and governorship elections.
A day before the Presidential election, on February 25, Bello allegedly ordered bulldozers to excavate a road, linking Kogi Central Senatorial District, as a ploy to prevent officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission from taking election materials to the stronghold of his political rival and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
Similarly, MC Oluomo was alleged to have warned the Igbo in Lagos to stay indoors, if they would not vote for Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the All Progressives Congress.
Answering questions from journalists after presenting its preliminary report on the 2023 Governorship and State Assembly elections, the Executive Secretary of the NHRC, Tony Ojukwu, said both Bello and MC Oluomo would be invited for interrogation.
The Commission regretted assault, Human Rights violation that happened in unprecedented numbers across the county during the gubanatorial and house of assembly elections held on Saturday March 18.
Tony Ojukwu also regretted that there were reports of voter suppression, intimidation of INEC officials.
According to him, the Commission, as part of its mandate to promote and protect human rights, deployed 600 staff human right monitors across the 36 states for the governorship and House of Assembly elections.
Ojukwu regretted that in some polling units across 28 States, ballot box snatching, destructions of electoral materials were recorded especially in States like; Lagos, Enugu, Imo, Benue and Rivers.
He commended the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC officials for arriving on time in some polling units compared to the presidential elections that held on February 25th. He added that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) was generally successful. Most voters were accredited using BVAS, with only 6% of registered voters not accredited in some polling units.
He regretted that there was low voter turnout in states like Niger, Kwara, Benue, Kogi and in almost all the southeastern states.
He called on the Nigeria Police Force to arrest and prosecute those involved in the electoral malpractices across the country.
