The National Peace Committee (NPC), chaired by former Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar, has disclosed the intense pressure it faced to urge the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to either stop the collation of results or cancel the 2023 presidential election.
This revelation was made during the public presentation of the NPC’s 106-page report titled, “Nigeria’s Pursuit of Electoral Compliance: National Peace Committee NPC 2023 General Elections Report,” in Abuja on Friday.
The report detailed behind-the-scenes attempts by partisan forces and other unnamed entities to influence the electoral process.
It highlighted how, as the election day unfolded, the NPC leadership, including Gen. Abdulsalami, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, and Fr. Atta Barkindo, were overwhelmed with phone calls, petitions, and requests demanding their intervention in the electoral process.
Despite these pressures, the committee refrained from calling for the cancellation of the election.
The report was presented to the public after a meeting between the committee and INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, where INEC’s preparations for the upcoming gubernatorial elections in Edo and Ondo states were discussed.
Prominent members of the committee include Vice Chairman Okoh Ebitu Ukiwe, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, Sultan of Sokoto Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, business moguls Aliko Dangote and Femi Otedola, and other notable figures.
