PDP to INEC: Declare Atiku winner now

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately announce results as delivered from the Polling Units and declare the its candidate, Atiku Abubakar, the winner of the February 23 Presidential election.

This comes as it accused President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) of planning to alter election results at the collation centres.

PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, stated this in a press statement issued on Sunday.

The party maintained that results across the country showed that its presidential candidate is in ‘clear lead both in spread and total number of votes cast’.

The statement accused the governing APC of planning to alter the figures in polling units and allocate figures to President Muhammadu Buhari.

The statement reads: “Curiously, INEC server is now shut down, results are no more being transmitted and the reason is to enable the APC to inflate figures from six designated states.

“We call on international observers and election monitors to insist on a transparent process of transmission of results and the monitoring thereof.

“We already have reports of how APC governors in the northern states have been making desperate effort to tamper with the results of the elections in their respective states with the view to award conjured votes to President Buhari.

“In Kogi state, Governor Yahaya Bello has been making frantic moves to change results to suit APC’s intent and purposes as against the wishes of the people, expressly delivered at the polls”.

While saying that any attempt to alter election results would be vehemently resisted, the opposition party expressed concerns over delay in announcing final results.

“In delaying the announcement of the results, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu (INEC Chairman) is allowing the APC to turn him into a villain and directly pitching him against the people. He should therefore extricate himself from the rejected APC and be on the side of the people, by immediately announcing the results as already delivered at the polling units and declare, the people’s candidate, Atiku Abubakar, the winner.

“Anything short of this is not acceptable to Nigerians, who had already expressed their wishes and aspiration at the polls”, the statement added.

 

 

OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja