Apologise to Nigerians, Anglican Bishop tells Tinubu, INEC
The Bishop of Calabar Diocese of Anglican Communion, Rt. Rev. Nneoyi Egbe, has urged President Bola Tinubu to follow the footsteps of the late Nigerian president, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, by apologising to Nigerians for the conduct of 2023 polls.
Speaking in Calabar, Monday, the church leader said: “We thank God for a peaceful swearing-in of Mr. President. While we have nothing personal against him or his office, we need to make it clear that irregularities and illegalities in any process leave in their wake discontent and displeasure in the system.
“We believe that the scripture is very true in saying that righteousness exalts a nation. We seek Nigeria’s exaltation and therefore strongly advice that the newly sworn in president repent and apologise to Nigerians. The late President Yar’Adua acknowledged the incongruity of the process that brought him to office. This action alone gave birth to electoral reforms.
“We seek a nation where a leader in office will be willing to apologise for any unethical behaviour and even resign from such an office, rather than use the state media to propagate lies and promote indecent behaviours.”
He also called on the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to urgently apologise for allegedly disappointing Nigerians in the conduct of the 2023 general elections.
“The Independent National Electoral Commission owes Nigerians an apology for the fraudulent handling of the 2023 elections. Failing this, it will be increasingly impossible to trust the umpire and whatever processes they adopt for future elections.
“While the voting process during the last elections could be rated fair in most places, the collation and announcement of the results witnessed a new milestone in the corrupt ingenuity of the Nigerian elite. It is very shameful that a sitting president will call this charade of an election free and fair.
“The elections were won and lost, but we experienced “the voice is Jacob’s and the hand is Esau’s” in the process. We cannot hope for a good future on the basis of what we witnessed. The electoral process is the machinery for choosing our leaders. As such, it should be clean and transparent,” he said.
