The Nasarawa Women’s Protest implies that Inec must give them back the Mandate that was taken from them.

The term “stolen mandate” refers to the situation where an election is won by a candidate who did not receive the majority of valid votes or who won through fraudulent means. In the case of the last presidential election in Nigeria, some opposition parties and their supporters alleged that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) colluded with the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), to manipulate the results in favor of the incumbent president, Muhammadu Buhari.

One of the main reasons for the allegations of a stolen mandate was the delay in the announcement of the results by INEC. The election was held on February 23, 2019, but INEC did not announce the final results until February 27. During this period, there were reports of irregularities and violence in some states, particularly in the northern part of the country.

The main opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), accused INEC of deliberately delaying the announcement of the results to give the ruling party time to manipulate the outcome. The PDP also claimed that there were instances of vote-buying, ballot-box snatching, and other forms of electoral malpractice by the ruling party and its agents.

However, INEC denied the allegations and insisted that the delay was due to technical difficulties and logistical challenges in some areas. The commission also said that it had taken steps to address the reported cases of electoral malpractice and that it would not condone any form of fraud or misconduct in the election.

Despite INEC’s assurances, the PDP and other opposition parties continued to raise concerns about the credibility of the election. They alleged that the commission had compromised its independence and integrity by colluding with the ruling party to rig the election.

The PDP and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, challenged the results of the election in court. They argued that the election was marred by irregularities, voter suppression, and manipulation of the results by INEC and the ruling party. The case will go all the way to the Supreme Court.

The concept of a “stolen mandate” is not new in Nigerian politics. It has been used in the past to describe situations where an election was won through fraudulent means or where the true winner was denied victory. The allegations of a stolen mandate in the last presidential election highlight the importance of conducting free, fair, and transparent elections in Nigeria and other democracies around the world.

In conclusion, while there were allegations of electoral malpractice and irregularities in the last presidential election in Nigeria, the Supreme Court’s ruling will settle the claims of a stolen mandate. It is essential for electoral commissions to conduct free, fair, and transparent elections and for parties and candidates to respect the outcome of the vote, even if they do not agree with it.