No Excuse Would Be Accepted, 2023 Elections Must Hold As Planned – Afenifere Tells FG

Foremost Yoruba socio-cultural organization, Afenifere has declared that no excuse would be accepted to change the scheduled dates for the 2023 general elections in Nigeria.

The Afenifere in a statement made available to newsmen on Monday in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Jare Ajayi said it would be counterproductive for the dates to be changed.

The group, therefore, called on the government to ensure there is no change in the election dates as well as the May 29, 2023 handover date.

It pointed out that its call was again necessitated “partly due to the alarm note sounded by the spokesman of Northern Elders Forum, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Hamed, on the possibility of using the court to thwart the election process as well as difficulties being inflicted on Nigerians whose consequences may be used as excuse to jeopardize the ongoing civil rule.

“The contrived pains can be seen in the unabated insecurity, heightened difficulties in getting fuel, in getting new Naira notes and in getting other energy sources such as electricity, gas, kerosene and diesel. If the difficulties, being experienced in these areas continued and Nigerians begin to react, their (peaceful) expression of frustration may be used as an excuse to want to tinker with the democratic experiment going on. Such would not be acceptable in any way.”

Naija News recalls that the spokesperson of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed had raised an alarm last week Friday in which he said some people might be planning to frustrate the 2023 polls.

NEF, however, revealed its stand against any act capable of scuttling the initial plans for credible elections and a peaceful transition of power to another administration.

Afenifere in its statement on Monday said it aligns with NEF in demanding a free and fair conduct of the 2023 polls, saying nothing short of that would be acceptable.

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