The Peoples Democratic Party has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission to halt further collation of the 2023 presidential results until the results are uploaded on its server.
The PDP disclosed this on Monday night at a press briefing held at the National Headquarters of the party in Abuja.
Speaking on the election result, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, in the joint press briefing with the PDP presidential campaign council, stated that it is very clear from the votes as cast at the polling units across the country that the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, substantially defeated the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, in line with the expressed aspiration and Will of Nigerians.
Ologunagba said, “INEC deliberately refused to commence the collation of results 48 hours after the election.
“For clarity, Section 64 (4) (b) of the Electoral Act, 2022 specifically provides thus: “A collation officer or returning officer at an election shall collate and announce the result of an election subject to his or her verification and confirmation that Section 60 (4) of the Electoral Act 2022, said any result announced by INEC is ultra vires, illegal, and of no consequence unless they are results already transmitted directly from the polling units. So procedurally, it further noted that INEC cannot continue to announce results that are yet to be transmitted as expressly stated in the relevant Sections of the Electoral Act.
The spokesperson maintained that the alleged deliberate delay by INEC paved the way for the “reported compromise, alteration, falsification and switching of election results in favour of the APC in Kano, Katsina, Jigawa, Ondo, Ekiti, Kebbi, Ogun and other states where our candidate was in clear lead”.
“The PDP, therefore, rejects the manipulated election results as announced by INEC while cautioning that INEC is pushing Nigerians to the wall by announcing manipulated results.
“We are aware that INEC embarked on extensive and illegal cancellation of election results in many States of the country. For instance, in Sokoto State over 200 Polling Units results where the PDP is in the clear lead have also been canceled thereby disenfranchising over 200,000 registered voters.”
He added, “Information at our disposal indicates that INEC deliberately refused to commence the process of announcement of results more than 48 hours after the close of election and collation of results from the various Polling Units, which result by law was expected to be transmitted directly into INEC Server/Website as provided for under Section 68 of the Electoral Act 2022.
“The PDP on behalf of Nigerians and in the interest of national peace, demands that INEC halts further announcement of manipulated results and immediately transmit the authentic election results from the Polling Units directly its server/Website as required by law before the continuation of the announcement of results.
“The PDP advised that INEC should know that the party, majority of informed Nigerians as well as International Election Observers already have the results of votes as cast at the Polling Units across the country adding that its agents have been on the alert and we have all the results in our database.
“The PDP will not hesitate to make public the election results as cast at the Polling Units if that becomes necessary.”
Credit: Punch