Officials of the Peoples Democratic Party and Labour Party, have called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to halt further announcements of last Saturday’s Presidential and National Assembly results, over alleged discrepancies between results at the polling units and those being announced at National Collation Center.
Daniel Bwala, Spokesman of the PDP campaign, said that the party takes exception to the practice whereby results which are not announced at the collation centres should not be allowed to be presented at the national collation centre.
The party has therefore asked INEC to “take a cursory look into the election results being announced for Southern Borno area of Borno State
“In specific reference to Borno State, we reject in totality all areas where elections were conducted without the use of BVAS in compliance with the provisions of the new electoral act. We have concrete evevidencet our disposal to confirm these facts.
“Consequently, elections results produced from such areas will not be accepted by our parties and therefore call for outright cancellations of votes produced from such areas like Sothern Borno Senetorial District:
“The entire results of Bayo and Shani local government areas where there was gross violation and complete non usage of BVAS for accreditation before voting cannot be acceptable.
“In Gwoza LGA sp, cifically Ngoshe ward, Bivas was not used.
“In Nothern and central Borno, we observed similar gross violation.
“There is a case where BVAS malfunctions and could not capture or work properly in Bayo, Shani and Gwoza local government areas, Ngoshe ward to be precise.
“Voters were not allowed to vote in some wards in Gwoza. The incidence of not using BVAS in some units across the Senatorial district also pervaded the entire process.”
“Also in Rivers State, there are incidents of BVAS bypass and violence in Obio/Akpor local government area, ditto Etche local government, Omuma local government and Ikwere local government.”
The party therefore, called on Mahmoud Yakubu, the Chairman of INEC, who also doubles as the chief national collation officer, “to take a critical look into these observations and ensure that the rules guiding the electoral processes are followed to the letters.”
In a related development, the Labour Party (LP) also called on INEC to stop further announcements of results, following alleged observed discrepancies in the result at the polling units and the National Collation Center, Abuja
Diran Onifade, the party’s Director of Media, in a statement, said “ From all across the country, millions of Nigerians eager for a new order, trooped out to the polling booths, hopeful in the promise of INEC and the Federal Government, that a responsible and credible process, will be ensured, through a level playing field.
“After careful consideration of field reports from locations around the country, we have on record, hard video, documentary and first hand evidences of criminal conspiracies , tricks and irregularities by some INEC and security officials on one side, and also vicious attacks by political thugs, as well as clear evidence of inducement by politicians, one of whom was caught with half a million dollars in cash.
He declared that “Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Council is of the firm conviction, that the processes and practices as carried on by INEC, and as permitted by some security agencies, do not in the most reasonable minimum, meet the required standards of credibility and were not fundamentally, free and fair.
“We further present, that a compromised election cannot produce genuine results nor can they be lawful, or in acordance with the constitution and the electoral Act 2022.”
The LP Spokesman, stated that Amended Electoral Act says that Election Results are to be uploaded to the central server from the Polling Units.
“What is going on is practically Manual Collation that makes no sense at all.
“According to Section 60 of the Electoral Act, 2022, the presiding officer in an election is mandated to announce the results at the polling unit in the presence of the party agents and have same uploaded at the polling units in the presence of the parties participating in the election or their agents.
“The widespread actions of INEC in moving the results away from the polling units across our strongholds and thereafter announcing the results in the absence of our party agents falls short of the above provision.
“On the basis of these anomalies, the Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Organisation hereby states that the conduct of the elections of 25th February 2023, including the ongoing charade of declaration of ‘results’ in the states and in Abuja are unacceptable, and we hereby demand unequivocally, for the suspension of all processes, until these recorded cases of compromise, illegality and criminality are justifiably resolved… especially in the states of Edo, Imo and Rivers and various parts of the North.”
“ We see the trickery of not uploading the Presidential election results from the polling centres and the alteration and replacement of Form EC8A as an egregious act of brazen fraud which must not stand.
The party however appealed to its supporters, support groups, voters and indeed, all Nigerians to stay calm and vigilant, while we wait for INEC to urgently do what is right.
“We urge the International community, Election Observers and all true friends of Nigeria to critically review the conduct of these elections and stand firmly on the side of fairness and justice.
“We are totally confident, that in this matter, on which the future of our countrt rests, the people will overcome, no matter how long it may take”
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