By BASHIR ADEFAKA
To this end, the the groups called on members of the public to disregard, in totality, activities of purveyors of fake news, who are using the names of credible organisations for fictitious purposes while calling for review of the governorship elections in Kano.
The report that Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Center (CISLAC) and the Kano Civil Society Elections Situation Room called for cancellation of the March 18, 2023 gubernatorial election in Kano is fake news.
This rebuttal was made, on Saturday, by Mallam Auwal Ibrahim Musa a.k.a. Rafsanjani, Chairman of the TMG, while addressing a press conference in Kano.
Rafsanjani punctured the fake reports by telling more about the author of the statement being carried around, saying the group, which identified itself as Accredited INEC Elections Observers are “fake, faceless and politically sponsored”.
Auwal Musa, who is also Head of Transparency International in Nigeria and Executive Director of CISLAC, lamented that the spread of the fictitious and malicious group at a time Nigeria is having its political space heated up is not only worrisome,m but that, it also has the potential to further overheat the polity.
Rafsanjani, flanked at the press conference by the Convener of Kano Civil Society Elections Situation Room, Ambassador Ibrahim Waiya, warned that “as genuine Transition Monitoring Group and Civil Society groups are left without options but to take necessary legal actions against these faceless groups using their names to champion a criminal minded, politically motivated and sponsored missions.”
He warned that, “as champions of democracy, we will not allow smear-campaigners and people with politically motivated reasons drag credible Civil Society Organisations in Kano State and indeed in Nigeria at large into political wars with political parties”.
The frankly speaking CISLAC ED said, “TMG, CISLAC and the Kano Civil Society Forum have done incredible work towards electoral reforms in Nigeria, since 1998. TMG has championed the democratic path in Nigeria as the foremost elections observation group with the widest membership across the nation”.
He noted that, “We will never interfere with the conduct of elections or seek to interfere with the judicial processes leading up to a redress of grievances resulting from the elections.”
To this end, the the groups called on members of the public to disregard, in totality, activities of purveyors of fake news, who are using the names of credible organisations for fictitious purposes while calling for review of the governorship elections in Kano.
Also in his speech, the Convener, Kano Civil Society Elections Situation Room, Ambassador Ibrahim Waiya, urged the media to filter credible Civil Society Groups from faceless, politically motivated sponsored groups who are hide under the names of credible organisations to concoct fake stories that suits their narratives.
