Opposition Parties Raise the Alarm over INEC’s Inability to Disclose Total PVC Collected

Opposition Parties Raise the Alarm over INEC’s Inability to Disclose Total PVC Collected

By Udora Orizu in Abuja

The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has raised the alarm over an alleged refusal by INEC which they claimed was acting under the pressure of Amina Zakari (Buhari’s relative and INEC Federal Commissioner) not to issue to opposition parties across the country the breakdown of Permanent Voters Card (PVC) collected on polling unit basis few hours to the commencement of the general election.

In a statement issued by their National Spokesperson, Ikenga Ugochinyere, the coalition said this development was to keep opposition parties in the dark and enable the falsification of the polling units result by the APC working with some compromised INEC officials.

According to CUPP, “The refusal to release the polling unit PVC collection information would give room for perfection of over voting frauds in areas APC had planned to rig election and would lead to massive cancellations of opposition polling units victory under the guise that it was above the total number of PVC collected and this is going to be easy since the Opposition parties don’t have the figures of PVC collected on polling unit basis.We call on INEC to ensure that they keep to their earlier promise to release the polling unit PVC collection figures  and avoid destroying the credibility of the election even before voting starts.”

The Opposition Parties also alleged that they obtained signals from the Presidency directing that the security details of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commision, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, be switched with special agents loyal to the sacked DG DSS, Lawal Daura, close to opening of polls.

“The instruction given to these special agents and is to surround the Chairman and ensure he only announces President Muhammadu Buhari as winner of the Saturday presidential election, no matter what the result of the election show.”

The strategy according to CUPP, is to hold the INEC chairman hostage and force him to do their bidding.

“The plan is to make sure that elections are cancelled in those identified areas once there are signs that the ruling party is not winning. The ruling party will be relying on the quick information INEC’s National Commissioner, Amina Zakari, will be supplying from collation centre.”

The Coalition further said that some compromised ICT officers had tampered with voters registers and card readers in opposition’s strongholds to suppress votes.

“We are aware that Adamawa and some South East, South South, North Central and North West states have been supplied with election materials that are not enough.”

Opposition Parties demand that INEC should make collation of results open to all, adding that they would not accept any tainted result.

“If the government embarks on such move that will deny the will of the people of Nigeria, the crisis in Cote Dvoire when Laurent Gbagbo and in Gambia when Yaya Jammeh refused to step aside after they lost elections and the 1964 and 1983 post -election crisis will be a child’s play.”

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