Kingsley Moghalu
Polls: Prof
Kingsley Moghalu
Polls: Prof Moghalu Concedes Defeat, Blasts INEC,
APC
I was very saddened by the loss of lives to various acts of
violence during the February 23 presidential election and elections
into the National Assembly. My heartfelt condolences go to the
families that lost loved ones and I pray that those injured will
recover soonest.
The operational failures of INEC in the conduct of the
elections, the massive vote-buying and vote-rigging through various
methods as well as violence in several locations in the country
have left the credibility of the election open to question. The APC
and the PDP have both been complicit in the malpractices.
The number of votes tallied for my candidacy by the INEC did not
represent anything close to the electoral strength of that
candidacy. These false numbers were the result of brazen theft of
our votes and the suppression of our voters.
It appears, however, that the strong determination of many of
our citizens to reject the APC at the ballot box far outweighed the
desire for real change in our polity and governance in 2019. So,
although we did not win this election in terms of overall numbers
of votes, the presidential election result is an indication of
where our society is at present: 2019 is the last gasp of the old
political order that has robbed Nigeria of real development. I
trust and believe that this situation will change by 2023.
As we move forward as a country, we need fundamental reform of
our electoral system if our democracy is to have any real meaning.
Elections as they are organized and executed today in Nigeria are a
travesty. We need to reform the systems of registration, voting and
collation of votes by making the processes more transparent through
better use of technology. As of today, these processes are tedious,
inefficient and prone to risks and performance failures such as
those we have experienced. We also must stiffen punishment and
enforce accountability for electoral offenses.
Nigerians in Diaspora have continued to remit billions of
dollars home every year. Our fellow citizens living abroad must be
able to vote overseas as from 2023. Immediate action to achieve
this goal is required once the present elections are over.
President Muhammadu Buhari, who INEC announced as the winner of
the 2019 presidential election, owes Nigerians an inclusive,
competent government that can heal our land and take millions of
Nigerians out of crushing poverty. This calls for a very different
approach from recycling poverty through the APC government’s
unsustainable populist initiatives that fail to create jobs or
improve actual economic productivity and living standards.
A new, philosophically and conceptually grounded approach to
economic management that goes beyond mere economic growth
statistics to real economic development and structural
transformation remains an urgent priority for our country.
Our struggle for a better and well governed society, a
productive and inclusive economy that breaks the backbone of
poverty, and to restore Nigeria’s leadership role in the world
continues. I for my part will remain engaged in that struggle over
the long haul.
Signed
Kingsley Moghalu
YPP Presidential Candidate in the 2019 Elections