The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, were at loggerheads, over the conduct of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and the protest embarked upon by the opposition party leadership against the outcome of the February 25 presidential election.
Atiku, along National Chairman of the PDP, Senator Iyorchia Ayu and different birthday birthday celebration leaders, for the duration of a protest on the fee’s headquarters in Abuja, defined the presidential ballot as a charade, including that the integrity of INEC is on trial as it allegedly did not fulfil its guarantees concerning use of the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System, BVAS, and digital transmission of consequences from the polling devices to its end result viewing portal actual-time.
However, Tinubu disagreed with Atiku at the behavior and end result of the election, pronouncing the PDP candidate had no risk of triumphing the ballot and have to prevent inflicting site visitors snarls in Abuja through protest. Tinubu challenged the previous Vice President to visit the courtroom docket in which his grievances could be heard now no longer at INEC headquarters.
The PDP management submitted a strongly worded protest letter to the INEC, to check in its displeasure over the behavior and final results of the February 25 Presidential election.
National Chairman of the PDP, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, who led different birthday birthday celebration leaders and supporters to the INEC Headquarters, yesterday, submitted the letter which became acquired with the aid of using INEC’s Commissioner in fee of Voter Education and Information, Dr. Festus Okoye, on behalf of the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu.
In the letter, which changed into signed via way of means of Ayu and the PDP National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, and addressed to the INEC chairman, the birthday birthday celebration stated its choice to embark on a non violent march, subsidized via way of means of the protest letter, became taken after numerous conferences to study the elections.
Meanwhile, INEC has insisted that it had no allegiance to any birthday birthday celebration just because the President-choose Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, recommended Atiku to recognize his age, averring that the PDP’s protest to INEC headquarters turned into a brand new low of absurdity.
PDP’s letter
The letter examine in component: “After lengthy periods of conferences to study and planned at the final results of the Presidential and National Assembly elections hung on February 25, 2023 considers it expedient to speak to you and different vital stakeholders and companions withinside the development of democracy in Nigeria, the location of our exquisite Party (PDP) in regards to the behavior and final results of that election.
“It is certainly disheartening to mention that the election which raised the hopes of all Nigerians to witness an development in our electoral system grew to become out to be a charade.
“You might take into account the outcry of many involved residents of this us of a variously accusing your fee of complicity in a deliberate manipulation of the electoral method in favour of the ruling celebration, APC.
“ At on every occasion the troubles took the media the front burner you have been short in dispelling them as rumors and mere allegations. Today, Nigerians have all visible that the ones allegations had been real.
“In many conferences and briefings your fee held with the political events and the click in advance of the 2023 popular elections, you confident Nigerians that INEC beneathneath your management might behavior a free, fair, obvious and credible election.
“You additionally promised using the Bimodal Verification and Accreditation System, BVAS, generation in voter accreditation and end result control wherein the general public could have unhindered get admission to to the outcomes uploaded in your Servers on-line and in actual time (iREV). Contrary to this perception there has been an abysmal failure for your component to honour your guarantees.
“Predictably, the behavior and final results of the Presidential and National Assembly elections fell under suitable standards. It has resonated the fears of all Nigerians on your integrity and that of your fee to behavior a free, fair, obvious and credible election.
Confidence in INEC battered
“The self assurance you deceitfully made us to repose in you and your fee has been battered and eroded away through the final results of that election. The loads are indignant and feature now no longer hidden their resentment and rejection of the purported assertion you made to that impact.
“Without any equivocation, this election, withinside the records of our united states, elicited a lot interest, awareness, dedication and dexterity in Nigerians to workout their civic duty.
“The foremost elements that heightened the fervour and self assurance of Nigerians to take part withinside the electoral system had been the disasters of the ruling APC government, the advent of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System generation ,the Electoral Act 2022 and your repeated assurances of bequeathing Nigerians a reputable electoral manner.
Alleged complicity of INEC in rigging
“Everyone recollects with sadness the stated great irregularities and manipulations that marred the election. There are adequate proof to expose planned complicity of your fee withinside the whole fraud.
“ The falsification of effects and planned de-activation of the BVAS and your Servers to frustrate the transmission of election consequences without delay from the polling devices attest to that. In these types of troubles added on your interest you refused to act.
“Nigerians aren't anyt any extra unsure of your direct involvement in helping and abetting the huge rigging and manipulation of the election outcomes in favour of the ruling Party (APC).
“In addition, the refusal and forget about of your electoral officials to transmit the effects of the election at once from the Polling Units (PU) to INEC Servers as required through regulation is a flagrant violation of the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022. This motion isn't always applicable to Nigerians and neither to the Peoples Democratic Party. It consequently stands to be challenged.
“For need of clarity, Section 64 (4) (b) of the Electoral Act 2022 mainly affords thus: A collation officer or Returning Officer at an election shall collate and announce the end result of an election challenge to his or her verification and affirmation that the –
(b) “Votes said at the collated end result are accurate and regular with the votes or consequences recorded and transmitted at once from Polling Units beneathneath Section 60 (4) of this Act
“Consequent upon the above Section 60 (4) of the Electoral Act 2022, the end result you've got got introduced and the declarations made are extremely vires, unlawful and of no impact besides for consequences transmitted immediately from the Polling Units.”
The letter in addition examine: “It is consequently circumspect that no matter the agitations through Nigerians and our celebration at some point of the collation system protesting the suggested irregularities surrounding the election you proceeded with the assertion of the effects in utter brush aside of the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022.
“It is humorous and a gross abuse of our electoral system on your fee to have started transmission of the February 25, election effects from the numerous Polling Units (PU) days after the consequences of the stated election were introduced and purported winners declared. Your movement on this regard is an affront at the sensibilities of all Nigerians which we've vowed to resist.
“Notably, the hasty announcement of the election effects obviously violating the Electoral Act 2022 locations your integrity to overall scrutiny going with the aid of using your deceitful representations and assurances to Nigerians and the International Community that the Electoral Act 2022 is a sport changer that might assure a free, fair, obvious and credible electoral procedure mainly with the BVAS transmission of election outcomes without delay from the Polling Units.
“The Peoples Democratic Party detests and condemns this absurdity and brazen rape of our electoral system. Nigeria have to be visible as a rustic ruled through the guideline of thumb of regulation and it's far a obligation we together owe our residents desirous of entrenching genuine democratic concepts and the guideline of thumb of regulation. In this condition we name on all Nigerians each domestic and withinside the diaspora to face firmly in protection in their rights, votes and stolen mandate.
“In attention of the foregoing, the management of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) performing at the mandate of the Nigerian citizens has resolved as follows:
“To reject and claim as unacceptable the final results, statement and assertion of the Presidential election effects;
“To name to your fee to droop the on- going transmission of the Polling Units effects in your Servers that is in entire breach of the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022.
“To warn your fee in opposition to a repeat of the studies of the February 25, election withinside the coming Governorship and State Assembly elections of March 11, 2023. Any try to manage the electoral procedure may be vehemently resisted.
“To name on all Nigerians to be co- companions in protection of our democracy, votes, the guideline of thumb of regulation and their Rights to freely pick the applicants in their choice.
“To call for an reason why you proceeded with the announcement of the election consequences marred with irregularities towards all calls to deal with the lawsuits delivered in your interest earlier than and throughout the collation manner.
“We are writing to you due to the fact we need to carry our grievances and needs officially in your interest for essential motion.
“Furthermore, to tell you and your fee that, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) collectively with the regular and aggrieved hundreds of our pricey united states will not tolerate any act in defiance of our electoral approaches and laws.
“We experience pained on the final results of the February 25, 2023 election and the provocative statement your fee made in opposition to the desire of the human beings. Sadly, that is coming on the time Nigerians had been in excessive hopes of embracing a reformed electoral procedure. Please take warning for your acts to keep away from destabilizing our fledgling democracy.”
Respect your age, Tinubu warns Atiku
Reacting to the protest yesterday, Tinubu requested Atiku to appreciate his grand antique age and prevent following courtroom docket jesters like Dino Melaye to dance ‘skelewu’ and reason site visitors snarls withinside the nation’s capital, Abuja.
‘Skelewu’ is a dance shape set up via way of means of the musician, David Adeleke (Davido) in his tune of the equal title.
Describing the movement as a brand new low and a theatre of the absurd, Tinubu stated it's far ordinary that a former vp of the united states can be so idle as to disturb the general public peace.
Director, Media and Publicity, on the APC Presidential Campaign Council PCC, Mr Bayo Onanuga in a announcement stated while Atiku informed the arena remaining week that he could are searching for redress in courtroom docket over the final results of the presidential election, little did the PCC understand that he did now no longer plan to be guided via way of means of his very own promise.
“Going with the aid of using his political antecedents, it become instead now no longer unexpected that Atiku, days later, led a band of protesters, nay jesters in Abuja, to the Headquarters of INEC.
“What turned into on show nowadays with the aid of using Alhaji Atiku and his motley crowd changed into a brand new low from the perennial election loser.
“With Atiku staging a theatre of the absurd, we miss out on how a march to INEC through a scanty crowd will offer any victory window for him and his fragmented PDP. The most effective recourse open to Atiku after the electoral umpire declared Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the President-pick, is the Election Petition Tribunal.
“Instead Atiku and his celebration accurately spend their time to accumulate the so-referred to as proof they desire to provide earlier than the courts, they're busy dancing ‘skelewu’ at the streets and inflicting visitors nuisance to citizens of the Federal Capital Territory who have been going to paintings on a Monday morning.
“We don’t anticipate a former Vice President of Nigeria, a statesman and a Presidential candidate to be so jobless as to have time to disturb public peace over an electoral final results he had already stated he might venture in courtroom docket”, the APC PCC said.
Age now no longer for your aspect
The council additionally admonished Alhaji Atiku “to appreciate his age and the excessive workplace of the Vice Presidency of Nigeria he as soon as occupied.”
“He need to prevent being tele-guided with the aid of using Dino Melaye, who disclosed scandalously that N400 billion changed into wasted at the election, which become clean on the outset that Atiku become sure to lose.
“Atiku have to keep away from being misdirected through different courtroom docket jesters in his birthday birthday celebration, who persevered to marketing campaign after the election, nevertheless spewing their inanities towards the President-pick. They are mere comedian characters in a journeying theatre group.
“INEC Headquarters isn't always a courtroom docket wherein the prayers of Alhaji Atiku may be answered. No quantity of theatrical show will deliver him succour. The honourable and lawful course to take is for Atiku to get his legal professionals to plead his case in courtroom docket.
“He have to prevent throwing tantrums like a infant whose sweet turned into taken away over an election he definitely misplaced because of his personal bad judgment; mismanagement of his personal birthday birthday celebration and violation of strength rotational association among the North and the South. The PDP presidential candidate dug his very own grave in his closing election and, absurdly, he is attempting to rewrite the script of his personal utter failure.
“We marvel how Atiku and his celebration was hoping to win, while he himself admitted that Peter Obi, his walking mate in 2019, ran away with conventional PDP votes from the South-East and South-South.”
“We recommend Atiku to retire honourably from politics and flow to his dwelling house in Dubai. At seventy seven in November, Atiku does now no longer have age on his aspect again. He has participated in his remaining election and hopefully, he has learnt worth lessons, in no way to area his egocentric pursuits above birthday birthday celebration and installed concepts in his birthday birthday celebration and the polity.”
We don't have any allegiance to any celebration — INEC
Meanwhile, in his comments after receiving the protest letter, Okoye stated: “So, I actually have acquired this protest letter on behalf of the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission and I promise you this letter can be transmitted to him.
“If they’re remedial problems we can address the ones remedial problems. But I need to guarantee you that this Commission is a listening Commission. This Commission is a public accept as true with and this Commission belongs to the Nigerian humans. Our allegiance is to the human beings of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This Commission does now no longer owe allegiance to any political birthday birthday celebration.
“I need to thank all of you for the non violent manner this protest has been conducted.
“The fee belongs to the Nigerian humans and anything grievances there are, we are able to inspect all the ones grievances. If there are grievances that may be redressed, we can redress the ones grievances however I need to plead that everyone have to stay non violent and every person ought to keep to recognize the integrity of the fee and additionally the integrity of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“I am going to head and give up the protest letter to the chairman of the fee and I need to guarantee you that the fee will meet over this letter, check out it and cope with a number of the problems.”
Earlier, dozens of birthday birthday celebration supporters wearing black clothes marched from the PDP Legacy House to the INEC Headquarters amid making a song and dancing with armed ordinary and insurrection policemen in numerous vans supplying safety cover. The March commenced and ended with out incident.
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