The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of disobeying the Appeal Court ruling which directed the Commission to allow it access to inspect the documents and materials used in the February 23, 2019 Presidential election.
The main opposition party accused the Mahmood Yakubu-led INEC of working with the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) to frustrate its bid to expeditiously file its petition before the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.
It would be recalled that the Appeal Court had on March 6 ordered the INEC to allow the PDP and its candidate, Atiku Abubakar, access to inspect the documents and materials used in the presidential election.
A statement by Kola Ologbondiyan, PDP National Publicity Secretary, on Saturday, insisted that the Commission has so far denied the party’s legal team access to the election materials despite the urgency of the matter.
The statement reads: “It is imperative to inform Nigerians that upon obtaining the lawful order of the Court, directing INEC to forthwith, avail Atiku Abubakar and the PDP copies of all the documents and other materials used for the Presidential election, our legal team wrote to the INEC Chairman on the 11th and 12th of March 2019 respectively, causing the Order to be served on INEC and requesting access to the said documents and materials.
“Despite being served with the Order and several follow-ups, the leadership of INEC has refused to grant the PDP and Atiku Abubakar access to the materials and documents, notwithstanding the urgency of the matter.
“This action by the leadership of INEC has further exposed that it has been heavily compromised by the Buhari Presidency to rig the February 23, 2019 Presidential election and to frustrate the quest by Nigerians to reclaim the mandate from President Muhammadu Buhari and save the nation from the crisis of an illegitimate government.
“The leadership of INEC and the APC are seeking to frustrate our court option, seeing that the documents and materials will expressly show that Atiku Abubakar clearly won the election by the votes directly delivered at the polling units across the country as well as expose how the commission and the Buhari Presidency manipulated the results for President Buhari.
“The PDP cautions the INEC to note that Nigerians are now aware of its manipulative tendencies and that any further delay in granting access to the materials might attract public odium.
“INEC should therefore end its unpatriotic partisan shenanigans with the APC and immediately obey the Court of Appeal and grant the PDP and Atiku Abubakar access to the documents and materials and free itself from unholy entanglement with the APC against Nigerians”.
OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja
