- INEC dares opposition party to provide proof
Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Campaign Organisation has raised the alarm that the Presidency is planning to compromise the guidelines for the forthcoming general elections and cautioned the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Yakubu Mahmood to disentangle himself and the electoral commission from the fresh plot by the All Progressive Congress (APC) and the Presidency to compromise the electoral guidelines.
But in a swift reaction, the electoral body has dared the main opposition party to prove the allegation, insisting that INEC is not into rigging business.
The Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi, said “The PDP should provide the evidence in its possession to back up this wild allegation, otherwise, it should cure itself of this recurring hallucination, which I am sure Nigerians no longer buy. Certainly, INEC is not into the rigging business.”
PDP campaign organisation’s Director of Media and Publicity, Mr. Kola Ologbodiyan, said yesterday at a press conference in Abuja, that the plot was to pave the way for the alteration of the results of the forthcoming elections to favour Buhari.
According to him, “PDP campaign organisation cautions the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Yakubu Mahmood to immediately disentangle himself and his commission from the fresh plot by the APC and the Buhari Presidency to compromise the electoral guidelines and pave the way for the alteration of the results of the 2019 general elections to favour President Buhari.”
Ogbondiyan stressed that, “Buhari Presidency is desperate to remove these requirements because the display of results at the polling units ensures that results posted at all levels remain those originally announced at the various polling units, while the electronic transmission to INEC server ensures that the results from the polling centres are not tampered with.”
The PDP also demanded that INEC allows both local and international observers to its situation room to ensure that the final figures are not tampered with.
According to him, “The APC and Buhari Presidency are mounting pressure on INEC to drop the requirements so as to pave way for their planned alteration of results and allocation of fictitious figures to President Buhari during the collation process.”
“Prof. Yakubu must not succumb to the pressure of the Buhari Presidency, because doing so will definitely set him on a collision course with Nigerians.
“This demand has become imperative in the face of allegations and public apprehensions that the INEC Chairman is being offered humongous sums of money, running into billions of naira, by agents of the APC and the cabal at the Buhari Presidency to accede to their demands.”
“Information at our disposal further reveals that the INEC Chairman has been under pressure from this group said to be coordinated by President Buhari’s blood relation in INEC, who, we are surprised, Prof. Yakubu still allows around himself.”
“We urge Prof. Yakubu to note that Nigerians are already aware of the pressure being placed on him by the Buhari Presidency and APC seeking to force the commission to drop the display of results at the polling units as well as the electronic transmission of polled figures to INEC server from its guidelines.”
Meanwhile, the electoral body has dared PDP to prove the allegation, insisting that INEC is not into rigging business.
