• Friday, March 29, 2024
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Buhari, APC planning to remove INEC Chair – PDP

Mahmood Yakubu

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has accused the Presidency and the All Progressives Congress (APC) of plotting to forcefully remove the INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu for refusing to do their bidding for staggered election.

He also condemned in strong terms President Muhammadu Buhari’s death threat to ballot snatchers, describing the remarks as unpresidential.

Dogara who also doubles as Technical Adviser to the PDP Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, stated this at a press conference in Abuja on Monday.

According to him, the delivery of election materials to the wrong electoral centers, cancellation of flights, and other actions that undermined the logistics arrangement of INEC were deliberately done to sabotage and manipulate the electoral process.

“We are also very familiar with the pressure brought on INEC by top government officials and APC leaders to go ahead with the elections despite not being adequately prepared for the election. We are also aware the APC wanted the INEC chairman to conduct elections in some states and postpone in other states so as to have staggered elections. It should also be noted that the areas that would have been affected by inadequate delivery of materials were PDP strongholds.

“It is important to note that the APC in its usual manipulative style is now shifting the blame on INEC leadership while absolving itself and the other institutions of government under its control of any blame.That is the common strategy that super villains always employ.

“Obvioulsy, we know they are doing everything humanly possible to discredit INEC, remove the chairman and stall the process conscious of the fact that they cannot win this election,” he said.

The Speaker also denied claims by the APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, that the electoral body colluded with main opposition party to abort last week’s national elections.

This, he said, is surprising considering the fact that the Federal Government controls every institution and agency involved in the electoral process including the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigerian Airforce, Aviation authorities amongst others.

On the remarks by the President at Monday’s APC National Caucus meeting in Abuja where he urged the military to ‘deal ruthlessly’ with ballot box snatchers, even at the expense of the lives of the offenders, he described the comment as unpresidential.

“In view of this statement by the president, it is obvious that the military has been given a central role and coopted into the conduct of the election despite the fact that they have no constitutional role in our electoral process.

“Embarrasingly, this is the first time that we have witnessed a ruling party play victim, which is a clear indication that they have lost the plot. Evidently, their recent actions and statements clearly show they are panicking and desperate to cling onto power, even when the people have rejected them,” he said.

While calling on Nigerians to come out en mass at the rescheduled election for this Saturday, he urged international observers to be vigilant, saying, “Their presence as impartial arbiters is important in ensuring we have peaceful, credible, free, fair and transparent elections”.

He also enjoined security agencies to be impartial and remain loyal to the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

 

OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja