The youths claimed Igini was partisan and biased as evident in the handling of the affairs of his office as it affects the opposition party in the State.
A group, Human & Environmental Development Agenda has cautioned the youth wing of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akwa Ibom State, to desist from harassing and embarrassing the Resident Electoral Commissioner of the State, Mike Igini.
This was contained in a statement signed by the HEDA Chairman, Olarenwaju Suraju.
Suraju urged the youths to desist from harassing Igini after the youth group protested at the entrance of the secretariat of Independent National Electoral Commission headquarters, demanding Igini's removal.
They carried placards with various inscriptions including: “Igini Must Go,” “Igini is working for the PDP”, and “Igini is a Biased Electoral Umpire”, among others.
The youths claimed Igini was partisan and biased as evident in the handling of the affairs of his office as it affects the opposition party in the State.
They had also called on INEC National Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, to remove Igini from the State adding as they alleged his excesses could no longer be tolerated.
But in the statement, HEDA's Chairman, Suaju advised the angry youths to channel their grievances to the President or National Assembly in the most civil and dignified way and manner without resorting to name-calling and harassment of the REC.
He said the aggrieved parties, in the case where the REC is accused of disobeying court order, should approach the Court for contempt proceeding against the REC, “the standard procedure in such case, not the constant harassment of Mr Igini from exercising his constitutional duties as Akwa Ibom REC."
He added, “There are laid down ways of doing things. This is not a banana republic, we should do things accordingly. Due Process must be followed. Complaints to the National Chairman of INEC should be addressed in a formal letter.
“This can be copied to the President and the National Assembly and other relevant bodies. Civil Society Organizations as critical stakeholders in the Nigerian project are happy to support the process of challenging a REC where cases are well established because we all are involved.”
Suraju further called on President Muhammadu Buhari to call his party members to order and defend the electoral officers across the Federation particularly as States elections are in progress and National elections draw near with its attendant discordant tunes.
“The President of Nigeria and the National Assembly must rise to the occasion now and call their parties members to order. The President should also defend the Lives and properties of Nigerians as his constitutional obligation as enshrined in the supreme law of the land.”
He charged other civil society organisations to be on alert for actions and inactions emerging from different quarters and act accordingly in line with their mandates as Nigeria approaches a more intense elections season.
“There are myriads of actions and inactions emanating from different quarters (State & non-state actors) which are potentially inimical to our democracy. We must be proactive and stand up against them now before we are consumed by the same people we call fellow citizens,” he added.