PDP Asks INEC to Halt Collation of Presidential Results

PDP Asks INEC to Halt Collation of Presidential Results

*Wants Yobe, Zamfara, Nasarawa, Borno results cancelled

By Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has demanded an immediate halt to the on-going collation of results by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), until data from the smart card reader accreditation at the polling units are made available to all the parties in the election.

The main opposition party said its National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, had already communicated the position of the party to the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu.

The Deputy Director General of the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, Barr. Tanimu Turaki, while addressing a press conference Tuesday in Abuja, said that the party predicated its demand on available evidence to the effect that data from the card readers are being reconfigured to suit the manipulations, rigging and over-voting already carried out during the election in some states by the All Progressives Congress (APC).

To this end, he demanded the immediate and outright cancellation of Presidential election results in Yobe, Zamfara, Nasarawa and Borno states as submitted by INEC presiding officers and ask for the conduct of fresh elections in these states.

Turaki stated, “We have evidence from the smart card reader accreditation data that what is being announced by INEC has been seriously tampered with and manipulated.

“In Yobe, the total number of votes submitted as cast was more than the number of accredited voters. Whereas the number of accredited voters was 601, 056, the total votes cast was 775, 449.

“This is a clear case of over-voting which, by the provisions of the Electoral Act, renders the election null and void. In such instance, the law provides for another election on a day to be fixed by INEC.

“In Zamfara state, no actual voting took place and there was no single result sheet in any polling unit in the entire state. There was an arrest in Shinkafi Local Government, where an APC member was caught thump-printing ballot papers inside his house.

“Results from the presiding officer from Zamfara were concocted and allocated according to the wishes of the leadership of the APC and INEC.”

The PDP therefore demanded the outright deletion of the results from Zamfara from INEC records and a conduct of free, fair and credible Presidential election in Zamfara state.

The PDP also demanded an immediate restoration of its over 79, 000 valid votes which were unlawfully cancelled by INEC in Kogi state and the announcement of the authentic results inclusive of the restored 79,000 votes

Also in the FCT, the main opposition demanded the restoration of 27,000 valid votes unlawfully and arbitrarily cancelled by INEC and a declaration of the authentic result, inclusive of its restored 27,000 votes.

Turaki noted, “In Plateau, the PDP demands the immediate restoration of our over 30,000 lawful and valid votes, which were unlawfully cancelled particularly in Jos North and the declaration of the genuine results as delivered at the polling units inclusive of our 30,000 restored votes.

“In Nasarawa, the PDP demands the immediate restoration of our over 157, 000 lawful and valid votes which were unlawfully and arbitrarily cancelled by INEC and the announcement of the actual results from the field.”

The PDP stressed that there was no election in Borno state, but a figure writing exercise and allocation of results according to the whims and caprices of the APC leaders.

It therefore demanded outright deletion of the results from Borno from INEC records and a conduct of free, fair and credible Presidential election in Borno state.

The PDP also called on Nigerians to disregard the results until INEC provides the data from the smart card reader accreditation at the polling units, conducts fresh election in Borno, Yobe and Zamfara states as well as restore our votes in Plateau, FCT, Kogi and Nasarawa states.

The PDP maintained that from the actual votes delivered at the polling units, which it has, Nigerians clearly and unequivocally gave their mandate to Atiku Abubakar.

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