A former Rivers State chairman of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Apostle Eugene Ogu, has petitioned the governments of the United States of America and the United Nations to intervene over the refusal of the National Assembly to allow the direct electronic transmission of election results in real time.
The ex-PFN leader said the position of the federal legislature constitutes a direct threat to Nigeria’s democracy.
In a strongly worded petition made available to journalists in Port Harcourt on Friday, Ogu also called on the European Union and the wider international community to intervene and save Nigeria from what he described as “anti-masses political leaders.”
Ogu, who is also the founder of the Abundant Life Evangel Mission headquartered in Port Harcourt, urged those he referred to as “political contractors in the National Assembly” to desist from actions capable of setting the country ablaze, warning that any attempt to derail constitutional democracy would be firmly resisted by Nigerians.
The petition partly reads, “Nigerians may have endured massive looting of the nation’s treasury by politicians, which is responsible for the poor standard of living resulting in bad roads, poor power supply, inadequate medical care, poor quality education, lack of confidence in the judicial system, insecurity, absence of human rights freedom, and a high level of bribery and corruption across all sectors of government. However, the National Assembly must not play games with the country’s democracy.
“Only a free, fair, transparent and legal electoral process with compulsory electronic transmission of election results, which is domiciled in the constitution, is what Nigerians crave, not what the Independent National Electoral Commission publicly told Nigerians about electronic transmission, only to later claim it is not in the constitution.”
The cleric alleged that the refusal of the Senate to pass the bill on electronic transmission of election results in real time “is an invitation to rig the 2027 presidential election and fraudulently manipulate the will of the people.”
Ogu further urged the international community and all lovers of democracy across the world to stand against what he described as anti-masses tendencies directed at Nigerians.
“I call on the international community — the US, UN, EU — and the leadership of respected organisations such as the Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress, National Association of Nigerian Students, NUC, NBA, NANS, ASUU, NASU, PFN and CAN to speak out now and do the needful to compel the National Assembly to pass the electronic transmission of election results into law in good time.
“The international community should show sufficient commitment to the well-being of Nigeria by compelling the Nigerian government and the National Assembly to pass the bill into law, as it will be the greatest gift any country can give to Nigeria, or that the National Assembly can bequeath to the people they represent,” he said.
The cleric also appealed to foreign embassies not to honour travel documentation for Nigerian politicians until they respect the will of the people by passing the bill.
Ogu criticised Senate President Godswill Akpabio and other lawmakers, urging them not to treat such a sensitive issue lightly. He warned that INEC and the police should not be exposed to unnecessary risk by being forced to manage a tense, suspicious and potentially fraudulent electoral process in 2027.
He added, “The president must understand that the greatest hero of Nigeria will not be who ruled the country, but who gave Nigeria a free and fair electoral process.
“I commend all the senators who stood up for electronic transmission, especially those who publicly expressed support for the will of Nigerians. I call on all members of the National Assembly not to allow themselves to be used against the will of the people.”
