A former Deputy Chairman of the People”s Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George on Monday berated the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the claim that the transmission of votes to its server was slow, saying it would be disgraceful to go back to the dark age.
The PDP chieftain made the remark during a press briefing in Lagos, noting “It is the most despicable shameful act, after the certification of the veracity of the BVAS.”
He explained that such a claim by INEC was a way of taking the country back to the period of misery, when elections results were manipulated between the polling units and the collation centers.
While commending President Muhammadu Buhari for his boldness to getting things right by initiating and signing the electoral bill into law, George stated the director of ICT in INEC should be sacked.
He therefore called on the international community and observers on ground, monitoring this election, to rise and condemn the alleged self-destructive move.
He said, “I want to state unequivocally that it is disheartening to learn that the , meant for the seamless transmission of election results electronically into the commission’s server is failing, and thus necessitating the reversal to the manual system.
“This is against the standard for the election and it is not acceptable at all, as we are being taken back to the period of misery, when elections results were manipulated between the polling units and the collation centers.
“It is the most despicable shameful act, after the certification of the veracity of the BVAS, for the transmission process of results, which was attested to, by the mock process successfully embarked on by INEC before the election, coupled by the successful deployment of the system for the Ekiti, Anambra and Osun governorship elections.
“How on earth can INEC turn around at this critical period, to discredit the system? I hope they are not trying to foster the dismal APC government on Nigerians, who have expressed their determination to do away with this retrogressive party through the poll last Saturday.
“I make bold to say, this is a big embarrassment to Nigerians and the international community , whose hopes were raised that the giant of Africa and the most populated black nation has finally got it right and found a permanent solution to her intractable electoral quagmire of several years.
“Alas, we are being drawn back to our disgraceful past, which to me is also dealing a severe blow to the effort of developed countries like the United States (US), who made huge financial and material commitment to our electoral process, expected to chart a new course and place Nigeria in her rightful place among the comity of nations.
“How can we accept this uncivilised abuse against an established electoral reform already gazetted and entrenched as Electoral Act in our constitution? This is nothing but a reversal of our political fortunes by several millions of backward steps.
“I am concerned that the international community who have invested their several millions of dollars in financial and material resources would be most bemused by this most unthinkable madness, being demonstrated by the Nigerian electoral umpire.
“A nation is not about narrow irredentist fixation. It is larger. It is about common goals and shared values. It is about common destinies and common verities. Anything is a conglomeration of indifferent, wobbling and wavering entities. It is deviation from the normative patterns of a nation-state.”
