- Queries INEC’s engagement of APC agents as observers in Ekiti, Osun
BY AMOS DUNIA, ABUJA – The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Thursday said for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to admit the existence of underage voters in its voters’ register has vindicated its (PDP) position and clearly shows the Party is crying wolf where there is none.
Reacting to INEC’s acknowledgement of the flawed register, the main opposition party however rejected moves by the electoral body to unilaterally clean up the discredited register and eliminate the minors.
It insisted that stakeholders, including political parties, should be involved in the process to make such exercise credible.
The PDP also said; “This is principally because we have already been made aware that INEC, under Prof Mahmood Yakubu has been instructed by the Presidency and the All Progressives Congress (APC), to retain the underage voters, particularly in Katsina, Kano states and other porous states where they plot to use them to rig election for President Muhammadu Buhari.”
The opposition party in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan accused INEC of being compromised by the APC as clearly demonstrated in their earlier spirited denials of existence of underage voters in the register.
According to Ologbondiyan; “Nigerians are aware that INEC only admitted the illegality following preponderance of incontestable documentary evidences exposed by the PDP.
“Furthermore, we are already aware of other illegalities being perpetrated in INEC by the APC to manipulate the electoral process not only for the 2019 general election but also the forthcoming governorship elections in Osun and Ekiti States.
“We are aware that a blood relation of President Buhari, who has been made in charge of very sensitive department in INEC, has been perfecting all manner of rigging plans, including the exposed plans to create illegal 30,000 polling units in porous areas to be used to allocate votes for President Buhari.
“We are also aware of underhand registration of APC agents as election observers, as well as the manipulation of INEC voters’ and constituency data to favour the APC.”
Accordingly, the PDP said the INEC Chairman must explain to Nigerians why his Commission secretly registered over 4,000 APC agents as observers for the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections.
The opposition party further said; “INEC should explain why it registered observers without the knowledge of other stakeholders, particularly the major political parties contesting in the elections.
“It is clear that the sneaky activities of the commission and the APC are all aimed at institutionalizing their planned rigging of the governorship elections but we want to assure that such will be firmly resisted at all level of the electoral process.”
The PDP therefore demanded that the registration of observers for the Ekiti and Osun state governorship elections be cancelled and a fresh registration involving all stakeholders conducted if indeed INEC wants Nigerians to have faith in their processes.
It said Prof Yakubu must understand that Nigerians are taking note of the erosion of the independence and public confidence in INEC under his watch, adding that they are not ready to accept any process or results that do not reflect the democratic will of the people in all elections at any level across the country.
