The People's Democratic Party (PDP) has called on the State Department, police and other security agencies to open an investigation into alleged complicity in criminal manipulation against Professor Mahmoud Yakub, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). . Tampering and criminal prosecution track election results.
This should be a logical step following the resignation of the INEC Chairman, according to the PDP.
At a press conference at his PDP National Secretariat in Abuja on Friday, Debo Ologunagba, PDP National Communications Secretary, said:
A PDP spokesperson said: Mahmoud Yakub's resignation from his INEC presidency is a major hurdle for electoral administration, especially as the country prepares for new gubernatorial and state legislative elections scheduled for his March 18, 2023. It will be the first step towards cleansing the Commission and restoring the confidence of Nigerians.
“Furthermore, the PDP said that the Inspector General of Police and the Director General of the Directorate General of State Services (DSS) will immediately launch an investigation into INEC's electoral fraud and manipulation to prosecute Professor Mahmoud Yakub and other officials of the Commission.
These demands require INEC, led by Professor Mahmoud Yakub, to consider and reach conclusions on widely accused violations, blatant violations of the 2022 Electoral Law provisions and falsification of election results. The incident was aimed at undermining the will of Nigerians in the February 25, 2023 presidential and parliamentary elections.
Ologunagba also said: Information necessary to pursue our case in a presidential election court.
“Incidentally, the INEC, led by Professor Mahmoud Yakub, rigged the elections by brazenly violating the provisions of the 2022 Elections Act and the INEC rules, guidelines and manuals issued for the elections.
“Also, a commission under Professor Mahmoud Yakub will make room for the criminal mutilation, falsification and rearrangement of election results across the country in favor of the APC. It is also clear that he deliberately obstructed the uploading and transmission of results directly from the voting unit for the sake of it, now ample evidence of photographic and video evidence that scoresheets have been compromised in many parts of the country.
He continued. “Several evidence exists in states in the country’s six geopolitical zones that winning numbers legally obtained by the PDP have been altered in favor of the APC. Vote center result sheets were destroyed and replaced with fake result sheets that assigned incorrect winning numbers to the APC.
“This further explains why the INEC Chairman rushed to announce and declare manipulated results that were not transmitted directly from the Polling Units to INEC`s Server/Website and ignored the objections and complaints raised during the collation of results in deliberate violation of the provisions of Section 64 (4) (a) and (b), 64 (6) (a)-(d), and 65 (1) (c) of the Electoral Act. 2022.
“For emphasis while Section 64 (4) (a) and (b) expressly require the INEC Chairman as the Chief Returning Officer to announce only results that were transmitted directly from the Polling Units, Sections 64 (6) (a)-(d) and 65 (1) (c) compel INEC, in the case of disputes, complaints or objections regarding a collated result or the result of an election from any Polling Unit, to take steps including the review of collation where they are made contrary to the provisions of the Law, Regulations, Guidelines and Manual issued for the election.
“By flagrantly violating these provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022 as well as INEC`s Regulations, Guidelines and Manual for the election, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu is not only culpable of serious electoral offence but also betrayed, thrashed and threw overboard the trust, confidence and hope Nigerians reposed in him and the Electoral Commission to deliver a free, fair and credible election in the country.
“The continued retention of Prof. Mahmoud Yakub as INEC chairman is therefore an annoyance, undermines the integrity of the Electoral Commission, and undermines the credibility of our electoral process, the
"Furthermore, Professor Mahmoud Yakub's tenure has suppressed the material evidence necessary to further expose violations of the commission and violations of the Presidential Electoral Court."
“This concern is reflected in INEC's desperation to reconfigure BVAS devices to erase the critical data they contain.
“The PDP, therefore, immediately vacated its position after INEC's chairman, Prof.
``Nigerians no longer trust Professor Mahmoud Yakub in his ability and integrity to lead a sensitive democratic institution like INEC.''
`` Similarly, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has forced INEC officials to make serious financial compromises in order to manipulate certain electoral processes. Takes note of reports by various international organizations that do not recognize the actions of the INEC leadership to undermine democracy in the conduct of presidential and national parliamentary elections in .
“In this regard, the PDP has asked the international community to immediately impose sanctions, including travel restrictions, on the INEC Chairman and other Commission officials for their role in endangering Nigeria's democracy. I ask you to impose
“The PDP is urging the Nigerian public to keep calm but be very vigilant.