No fewer than 316,071 people have signed an online petition calling on the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and European Union authorities to cancel the visas of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Mahmood Yakubu, over alleged rigging of last Saturday’s presidential election in favour of the ruling All Progressives Congress candidate, Bola Tinubu.
The petition which was started on Thursday morning had garnered 316,071 signatures at the time of filing this report.
“I started this petition because Mahmood refused to do the will of the people. He rigged the election for APC against the will of the Nigerian voters.
“I am so very excited to see like minded people. So grateful guys. Let’s keep sharing,” the initiator of the petition, identified as Osusu said.
On Wednesday morning, INEC declared Tinubu as the president-elect.
Tinubu, a former Lagos State governor, was declared the president-elect after the 70-year-old polled 8,794,726 votes to win the 2023 presidential election.
Tinubu won the election ahead of other contenders — the Peoples Democratic Party candidate, Atiku Abubakar; the Labour Party candidate, Peter Obi; and the New Nigeria Peoples Party candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso.
The Labour Party has rejected the result of the election over alleged rigging by the INEC, Nigeria’s electoral body. It has vowed to challenge Tinubu’s victory in court.
The National Chairman of the party, Julius Abure, in a statement, described the election outcome as a rape of democracy in the country.
The LP chairman also said the results were manipulated after the people voted for the candidates of their choice.