…Warns against result alterations
…Directs members to march to INEC state offices
…Says 58 killed during elections
By Dirisu Yakubu
ABUJA – The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP), has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to immediately release the results of last Saturday’s governorship elections in Sokoto, Adamawa, Plateau and Bauchi states even as it accused the umpire of playing the script of the All Progressives Congress, APC, to rob PDP of victory.

Polling station workers prepare card readers, ballot and boxes to start the Election Day at Unguwar Sarki polling station in Kaduna on February 23, 2019, as Nigeria votes to elect its new president. – Nigerians began voting for a new president on February 23, after a week-long delay that has raised political tempers, sparked conspiracy claims and stoked fears of violence. Some 120,000 polling stations began opening from 0700 GMT, although there were indications of a delay in the delivery of some materials and deployment of staff, AFP reporters said. The presidential contest will see incumbent Muhammadu Buhari (APC) seek to win a second four-year term against former vice president Atiku Abubakar (PDP). (Photo AFP)

Addressing a press conference at the party’s secretariat on Monday, National Publicity Secretary of the party, Kola Ologbondiyan said INEC, “under the leadership of professor Mahmood Yakubu, has become overtly partisan, surrendered its independence to the APC and carried on as a compromised umpire with obnoxious impunity, thereby sending signals of being heavily bribed by the APC to alter results for its candidates.”

The statement read in part: “The PDP has full intelligence of how INEC is acting on instructions from the Buhari Presidency and the APC in orchestrating unwholesome situations and declaring already concluded governorship elections in Sokoto, Adamawa, Bauchi, Plateau as well as other states as inconclusive, immediately it becomes obvious that the PDP was set to win.

“This also informs the foisting of unexplainable stoppage and delays in the announcement of already collated results in other states where the PDP is clearly leading the race, from the results so far declared at the polling units.

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“Our party has also been informed of how INEC is now seeking ways to use the situation to aid the APC to alter the results and announce APC candidates as winners in the elections clearly led by the PDP just as it did in the 2018 Osun State governorship election.

“In some of the states like Rivers, the PDP has information of plots by APC to leverage on the declaration by INEC to unleash more violence in the state and push for isolated election where they can bring in more security forces to concentrate on forcefully taking over the state.

“Already, in Rivers State, INEC is under heavy pressure from the Director General of the Buhari Campaign Organization and Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, to post out and replace the State Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, as well as the Administrative Secretary.”

It vowed to resist any attempt to alter the figures in Rivers “even if the totality of our nation’s security is deployed to Rivers State.

“This is more so as results of all the state assembly elections in Rivers state have been declared and winners emerged.”

The party further counselled Professor Yakubu to play by the rules by immediately announcing the results in those states without further delay.

It continued: “Professor Yakubu must have noted how his name is becoming synonymous to electoral manipulations, among Nigerians, and the fact that our citizens and international community hold him responsible for the rigging of the Presidential and other elections for the APC.

“Today, majority of Nigerians and the global democratic institutions are questioning the state of our democracy and electoral processes, which have been under siege under the supervision of President Buhari and Professor Mahmood Yakubu.

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“In the light of these INEC’s manipulative tendencies, PDP charges our leaders, teeming members and lovers of democracy in the affected states to immediately commence a march to INEC offices and use all legitimate means to protect our mandate as freely given by the people at the polling units across the nation.

Fielding questions from journalists on the sideline of the press conference, the publicity scribe said so far, 58 people have been killed, adding that the party was still carrying out its independent investigation to ascertain the number of its members that lost their lives.