The National Peace Committee (NPC), led by former Head of State Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, revealed it faced immense pressure to persuade the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to either halt the collation of results or cancel the 2023 presidential election.
Abdulsalami disclosed this while detailing the behind-the-scenes maneuvers by partisans and other unnamed elements during the election.
Speaking during the public presentation of its 106-page report on the 2023 General Elections, titled ‘Nigeria’s Pursuit of Electoral Compliance: National Peace Committee NPC 2023 General Elections Report’, Abdulsalami highlighted the immense pressure exerted on the committee during the election process as partisan forces sought to influence the election outcome through various means.
According to him, the report provides an in-depth analysis of the challenges faced during the election and recommendations for improving future electoral processes in Nigeria.
The report read in part: “As the election day progressed, criticisms and counter-criticisms became abundant. The NPC was already being faced with a flurry of phone calls and the need to call INEC to order.
The Peace Committee was flooded with requests for intervention. Both the Chairman of the Committee, General Abdulsalami A. Abubakar, the Convener, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, and the Head of NPC Secretariat, Fr Atta Barkindo, were inundated with calls, requests, and petitions demanding the intervention of the NPC.
“Some of the requests wanted the NPC to prevail on INEC to stop collating election results because there were gross violations and lack of compliance with the electoral act.