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Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, has claimed that the decisions and actions of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in the build-up to the general election has favoured the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
Equally reacting to statements credited to ambassadors of some foreign countries, Oshiomhole warned that Nigeria is not under the supervision of any foreign country, just as he assured the foreign observers that security will be guaranteed.
The former Edo governor also alleged during a world press conference held in Abuja, yesterday, that the PDP has stockpiled a lot of money to buy votes during the polls.
On the allegation of the unholy alliance between the INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu and President Muhammadu Buhari, in holding nocturnal meetings, he said: “If anything, this INEC has been very unfair to the APC. But, we just discovered that we have a responsibility. The fact that we are a governing party imposes on us certain level of code that you can’t be seen to rubbish every institution, because, if we rubbish everything, it would mean we don’t want election. INEC believes everything the PDP says.
“As we speak, there are two Resident Electoral Commissioners who are virtually campaigning, line by line, with the PDP in the South South. INEC, without giving us any explanation and without any concrete evidence, went ahead to say we can’t field candidates in Zamfara State, thereby seeking to award, without any contest, nullify democracy in the state. Is that the way your friends behave if they are your friends?
“INEC is working more for the PDP, based on evidence I can show. How can they explain that a court of competent jurisdiction gave orders in Zamfara, to say this candidate is eligible to contest election and another High Court in Abuja also gave a verdict saying APC did not conclude its primaries, but did not give order to INEC.
“There is no order issued by the Federal High Court in Abuja. The court of Appeal made a pronouncement on this matter, yesterday, that there was no order from the court in Abuja, but that there was a concrete order from a Zamfara High Court, which upheld the primaries that was conducted in Zamfara. The INEC Chairman has said that when there are two court orders, they will adopt the last judgement. In Zamfara, the Abuja judgement came first and the Zamfara judgment came last; even though it is the same say. As INEC has said they will always obey the last judgement, when it came to the Zamfara issue, they changed the goalpost. As media, you have to be careful. When you say people alleged there were meetings and can’t even cite any, it is a disservice. We have been at the receiving end of abuse. There is a candidate in Kano whose nomination we forwarded to INEC, but, they changed the nomination and as we speak, we are in court over that. We showed our evidence.
“When I saw Atiku talking about rigging today, I laughed. Do you remember the confession of the former Deputy Senate President, Ibrahim Mantu who, on national television narrated how president Obasanjo used him and Atiku to rig election, how they wrote results, how they collude with INEC.
“This same Atiku was in office when Mantu was doing those things. So, if PDP functionaries have enumerated how they use to rig election, how can, in all fairness, point to president Buhari?” he asked rhetorically.
Regardless, reacting to his claims, Yajubu’s Chief Press Secretary, Rotimi Oyekanmi, dismissed the allegatios.
He said: “It is not true that the INEC is working hand in gloves with any political party to do the wrong things. The issues of Zamfara and Rivers are well known. In the case of Zamfara, the Commission had written to the APC leadership, to notify it of its inability to conduct primaries in Zamfara, within the stipulated time as required by law.
“The party cannot field candidates for the governorship election. Thereafter, two cases were instituted in court resulting in two rulings which were delivered the same day. The Commission then adopted one of the rulings. In the case of Rivers, it was the Supreme Court that took a final decision on the fate of APC.”
