There was mild drama at the International Conference Center, Abuja, venuen of the National Collation Center for the 2023 presidential election, when the Agent of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sen. Dino Melaye, insisted that the National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, should ask the State Collation Officers to make an affirmation that the results they were about to present have already been uploaded to the INEC server.
Prof. Yakubu in telling him that his request was outside of the scope of why they were there.
Dino, who insisted that INEC is under a duty to have uploaded results from the pains stations on the IREV Portal as promised in several press conferences, press statements, interactive session with political parties and other stakeholders, expressed shock that the INEC Chairman could not approve a simple request, making it seem as if there are more to it that meets the eye.
At a point when Sen. Melaye took stood up and was shouting on top of his voice about the issue, Prof. Yakubu overruled him, asking him to take his seat, just as he had told Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, who was also a PDP agent to take his seat.
Other party agents who spoke addressed the issue of lack of transparency allegwdly by the electoral management body, especially by not abiding their own set rules.
The party agent for Action Alliance referred to President Muhammadu Buhari displaying his ballot papers after voting, saying it amounted to vote-buying and called on INEC to cancel his polling station and prosecute him at the appropriate time, since crime does not run out on an offender, including people that enjoy immunity.
With the slow pace of Rerurning Officers presenting their reports, the INEC Chairman adjourned session for an hour, hoping that some one would have come into the collation centre.
