…Demands International Sanctions, investigations
Following the controversies that surrounded the February 25th Presidential and National Assembly election, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has demanded the resignation of the Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu, accusing him of compromising the process.
The main opposition party further called on the international community to impose sanctions of the INEC boss just as it called on the police and Department of Security Services (DSS) to investigate him over electoral offences.
National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Hon. Debo Ologunagba in a Press Conference on Friday at the party’s National Headquarters in Abuja, alleged that from all indications, “INEC under Prof. Mahmood Yakubu was compromised to rig the election by brazenly violating the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022 as well as INEC’s Regulations, Guidelines and Manual issued for the election”.
The PDP alleged that the latest scheme by INEC to reconfigure the BVAS devices is to erase and destroy evidence of its manipulation of the Presidential election, deny Nigerians and political parties, especially the Party and Candidate access to relevant information required to prosecute its case at the Presidential Election Tribunal.
“It is also obvious that the Commission under Prof. Mahmood Yakubu deliberately sabotaged the uploading and transmission of results directly from the Polling Units to give room for the criminal mutilation, alteration and switching of election results across the nation in favour of the APC as now abundantly exposed in the pictorial and video evidence of compromised results sheets in many parts of the Country.
“Several evidence abounds in States across the six Geo-Political Zones of the Country where winning figures lawfully scored by the PDP were switched in favour of the APC; where results sheet from polling centers won by the PDP were destroyed and replaced with fake results sheets in which APC was allocated unearned winning figures” PDP said.
The opposition party explained that having compromised the process, INEC Chairman rushed to announce and declare manipulated results that were not transmitted directly from the Polling Units to INEC’s Server/Website and ignored the objections and complaints raised during the collation of results in deliberate violation of the provisions of Section 64 (4) (a) and (b), 64 (6) (a)-(d), and 65 (1) (c) of the Electoral Act. 2022.
The PDP Spokesperson argued that by flagrantly violating the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022 as well as INEC’s Regulations, Guidelines and Manual for the election, “Prof. Mahmood Yakubu is not only culpable of serious electoral offence but also betrayed, thrashed and threw overboard the trust, confidence and hope Nigerians reposed in him and the Electoral Commission to deliver a free, fair and credible election in the country”.
He said that the continued stay of Prof. Mahmood Yakubu in office as Chairman of INEC is vexatious, injurious to the integrity of the Electoral Commission and an unpardonable assault to the credibility of electoral process, the sensibility of Nigerians and the International Community.
According to the party, Yakubu’s continued stay in office will pave way for the suppression, tampering and destruction of critical evidence required to further expose the infractions and violations by the Commission at the Presidential Election Tribunal.
“The PDP demands that the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu immediately step down from office, having abused the confidence and dashed the hope of millions of Nigerians as well as political parties and the International Community for a free, fair and credible election.
“Furthermore, the PDP demands that the Inspector General of Police and the Director General of the Directorate of State Services (DSS) immediately commence investigations into the electoral violations and manipulations by INEC with the view to prosecuting Prof. Mahmood Yakubu and other officials of the Commission for electoral offences.
“In the same vein the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) should open investigation into allegations that certain top officials of INEC were heavily compromised financially to manipulate the electoral process.
“The PDP calls on the International Community to immediately impose sanctions including travel restrictions on the INEC Chairman and other top officials of the Commission over their roles in compromising democracy in Nigeria”.
The party called on Nigerians to remain calm but very alert as it takes steps to retrieve its mandate at the Presidential Election Tribunal.
