The Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN), Lagos State Area Unit, has criticized former President Olusegun Obasanjo for his call to suspend the ongoing presidential election process. In a statement released on Tuesday, the MSSN Lagos Amir (President), Miftahudeen Thanni, described Obasanjo’s letter to President Muhammadu Buhari as unnecessary and biased. In his letter, Obasanjo urged Buhari to intervene with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to cancel elections in polling units where irregularities had been reported.
Thanni expressed his astonishment that a former president would suggest actions that could jeopardize Nigeria’s democracy. He questioned, “Can other elders admonish former President Olusegun Obasanjo not to put the nation into a blazing fire? That letter was unnecessary at a point when the country is tense.” He further remarked that Obasanjo might have an undisclosed agenda, emphasizing that as an elder statesman, he should be promoting calm rather than exacerbating tensions. Thanni asserted, “This electoral process must continue, and by God’s will, the antics of forces trying to bring disunity among Nigerians will fail. Why should an ex-president be making unconstitutional suggestions? The votes of the people must count. The ideal step is for any aggrieved candidate to seek redress in court. Truncating the election is a piece of bad advice.”
While acknowledging concerns regarding INEC’s inability to transmit election results electronically, Thanni suggested that Obasanjo’s letter indicates he is following a predetermined script with potentially dangerous implications. He questioned whether the results being announced in Abuja differed from those declared at the state level. “We do not want anarchy in this country. It is our future that is at stake, not that of Obasanjo,” he stated. Thanni urged both the president and INEC to disregard Obasanjo’s biased and distorted suggestions, warning that Buhari should ignore those who might seek to undermine his legacy through such proposals.
In closing, Thanni advised Buhari directly, saying, “Dear President, please discard Obasanjo’s letter. This process must be completed. The choice of the people must be respected and declared. The whole world is watching.”
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