…PDP alleges unsavoury tie between INEC, APC

The main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday, raised the alarm about an alleged “unsavoury developments being orchestrated by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to assist the All Progressives Congress (APC) to manipulate the electoral processes in Bauchi, Sokoto and Adamawa states ahead of today’s supplementary elections”

At a press conference presided over by the its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, the PDP also faulted the decision of INEC to conduct supplementary elections in Bauchi State, even when collation of votes for Tafawa Balewa Council had not been done, adding: “In Bauchi, Nigerians are all aware that INEC is yet to complete the collation of results to determine the margin of lead in the governorship election, yet it is proceeding to conduct a supplementary election.

“This anomaly being created by INEC is directly geared to cause confusion and muddle up the Bauchi electoral process and pave the way for allocation of fictitious votes to the APC.”

The party said it had reports of “how the INEC leadership connived with the APC to delay the collation of results from Tafawa Balewa Council, then stampede the courts to halt the process in an attempt to ambush today’s election, adding: “This informs why INEC hurriedly jettisoned its statutory independence and implemented the unconstitutional ex-parte order to halt the collation of results in Bauchi and Adamawa states, even before the order was enrolled and served on it.”

PDP cautioned INEC to note that it (the party) already had the figures of votes delivered at the polling units, noting: “We also have figure of voters with PVCs in the areas where INEC plans to conduct supplementary elections.

“Therefore any attempt by INEC and the APC to pad the results to favour the APC will be firmly resisted.” It further alleged that it has been informed “of how the APC and INEC are conniving to cause confusion and alter the figures of already collated results of the governorship election won by the PDP.

“The situation has become so pathetic that the Adamawa Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) is yet to officially state the commission’s position on whether the supplementary election will hold or not.”On Sokoto poll, the PDP alerted Nigerians of the alleged invasion of the state by heavily armed thugs from neighboring Kano and Zamfara states to unleash violence, cause confusion and help to rig the supplementary governorship election, under official protection of compromised security agencies.

“In Rivers State, our party holds that the shifting of the collation of results by INEC to April 2 to April 5 without providing any reason is a calculated attempt to create room for the APC to engage in judicial manipulations or abracadabra to scuttle the election already won by the PDP.”

The PDP charged the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure strict adherence to the use of card readers in all the supplementary elections, noting: “Reports abound of how INEC jettisoned the card readers in previous elections, particularly in certain states earmarked for rigging for the APC, thereby leading to all manners of electoral manipulations. “This must not be allowed in the supplementary polls.”