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From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The PDP has asked INEC to cancel the presidential election and conduct a fresh one that would be respected not only by Nigerians but by the whole international community.
The opposition party made the demand when its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, led the national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu and other leaders on a protest march to the national headquarters of INEC, yesterday.
The protesters, which included Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal and that of Taraba State, Darius Ishaku, were protesting the outcome of the presidential poll.
Dressed in black, they carried placards with different inscriptions such as “INEC is corrupt”, “It is time for change”, “INEC release the real results”, “Enough is enough”, “Mahmood Yakubu resign now.”
The PDP dismissed the presidential poll as flawed, stating that the electoral body did not comply with extant provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022 and called for cancellation of the poll.
The PDP, in a protest letter addressed to INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, said the electoral body failed to honour its promise to deploy the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) as well as transmit results directly from the polling units to INEC Result Viewing (IREV) portal.
The party, in the protest letter, signed by Ayu and the National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, noted that the conduct and outcome of the presidential and National Assembly elections fell below acceptable standards.
“The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) detests and condemns this absurdity and brazen rape of our electoral process. Nigeria should be seen as a country governed by the rule of law and it is a responsibility we collectively owe our citizens desirous of entrenching true democratic principles and the rule of law. In this circumstance, we call on all Nigerians both home and in the Diaspora to stand firmly in defence of their rights, votes and stolen mandate.
“In consideration of the foregoing, the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) acting on the mandate of the Nigerian electorate has resolved as follows: To reject and declare as unacceptable the outcome, announcement, and declaration of the presidential election results.
“To call on your commission to suspend the ongoing transmission of the polling units results to your servers which is in complete breach of the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022.
“To warn your commission against a repeat of the experiences of the February 25 election in the coming governorship and state Assembly elections of March 11, 2023. Any attempt to manipulate the electoral process will be vehemently resisted.
“To call on all Nigerians to be co-partners in defence of our democracy, votes, the rule of law, and their rights to freely choose the candidates of their choice.
“We are writing to you because we want to bring our grievances and demands formally to your attention for necessary action. Furthermore, to inform you and your commission that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) together with the ordinary and aggrieved masses of our dear country will no longer tolerate any act in defiance of our electoral processes and laws. We feel pained at the outcome of the February 25, 2023 election and the provocative declaration your commission made against the will of the people.”
•We’ve no allegiance to any party –INEC
INEC National Commissioner, in charge of Publicity and Voter Education, Festus Okoye, who received the protest letter, said the electoral body would address all remedial issues.
“I have received this letter on behalf of the commission; if there are remedial issues to be dealt with, we are going to deal with those remedial issues.
“This commission is for the Nigerian people. Our allegiance is to the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This commission does not have allegiance to any political party or candidate, our allegiance is to the federal republic of Nigeria.”
Kola Ologbondiyan, spokesperson for Atiku/Okowa Campaign Organisation said the demand of the party was that Yakubu should fulfil the promised he made to Nigerians at the collation centre that he was going to review the election results.
