A former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Timi Frank has tackled the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing for supporting the February 25 presidential and National Assembly elections that had been adjudged fraudulent.
Laing was recently quoted in the media to have called on Nigerians to be proud of the 2023 general election despite the observed setbacks.
Frank in a statement issued Thursday called on Laing to urgently apologise to Nigerian for apparently putting her stamp of authority on the election.
He called on Nigerians to reject the call in its entirety because it came from somebody who incidentally is not concerned about their welfare.
Frank described the statement coming from the representatives of the British Government in Nigeria as an insult to injury.
He noted that the people have waited for her to deny or dissociate herself from the media report that quoted her to have said Nigerians should be proud of an election where their wishes were thwarted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Frank said: “Our attention has been drawn to a tendentious statement credited to the outgoing UK High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing to the effect that “despite setbacks”, Nigerians should be “proud” of the recent Presidential and National Assembly elections.
“But up till now, no such rejoinder has been published in the media nor the website of the UK High Commission in Nigeria. Nigerians have been robbed and you are telling us to be proud. The outcome of the election continues to make Nigerians bitter and angry because their mandate was stolen. What aspects of the election does she want Nigerians to be proud of?
Frank said it appears Laing was unaware that most local and international election observers including her counterpart in the U.S. and even Chatham House (a UK body) identified massive irregularities during the elections and faulted INEC.
He added that the UK mission in Nigeria admitted that it did not adhere to the Electoral Act 2022 and its own guidelines during the conduct of the elections. Yet she asks Nigerians to be proud of such a sham.
Frank stressed that it was most unfortunate that Britain appears to condone and allow proceeds of crime from Nigeria to be invested in buying properties in their country but yet they will turn around to say Nigerians are corrupt.
