The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has said that intelligence report available to the party has shown that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC was under serious pressure from the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC to compromise the outcome of the presidential election.
The Director, Strategic Communication of the Atiku Abubakar presidential campaign organization Otunba Dele Momodu while briefing the media, Monday in Abuja called on INEC to resist the pressure being mounted on it from some quarters to compromise the results.
The PDP further called on INEC to apply necessary precaution before announcing procured results in the presidential election from some states in the country.
According to Momodu, “On behalf of our presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and the Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Council, we wish to thank all Nigerians irrespective of their political affiliations for turning up to vote for the candidates of their choice.
“We also want to commend the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the security agencies and all other paramilitary forces for ensuring that the atmosphere of the election was peaceful.
“Having cast their votes, Nigerians are earnestly expecting the results to be announced. It is also their expectations that the announced results will be in alignment with the ballots they had cast. As a campaign we expect nothing less.
“We have been following the trend of post election activities and it is our desire to reset certain wrong impressions being created to confuse the public.
“From already collated results data we are proud to inform Nigerians that the Peoples Democratic Party remains in the lead in the election of last weekend.
“We remain the only political party which has secured the necessary 25 per cent spread across 24 states in the country. No other political party has been able to cross this essential constitutional requirement.
“As a matter of fact, we have it on credible grounds that our main opponent in this election, the All Progressives Congress party, is currently mounting pressure in attempts to bribe their way to securing 25 per cent performance in both Imo and Ebonyi states.
“It is on the merits of this intelligence that we are calling on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to apply necessary precaution before announcing procured results in the presidential election from these two states.
“Our presidential candidate had yesterday urged the INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu to instruct Collation Officers to upload results from the Polling Units to the INEC server to avert those results from being compromised by Governors of the ruling party who were shopping for numbers to make up for their shortfalls.
“As we speak, the APC has not been able to meet the 25 per cent threshold and demand that INEC should not cave in to the pressures and desperation of the APC to buy advantages for itself in this regard.
“Similarly, we have it on good grounds that the APC are currently making attempts to shore up votes from Lagos State to their advantage.
“From already collated results, the APC is not leading in Lagos and we have credible information that they are currently shopping for means of manufacturing humongous figures to their advantage in the state.
“Similarly, we urge the Independent National Electoral Commission to resist the pressure being mounted on it by the APC to compromise the Lagos Central Senatorial District election where the Peoples Democratic Party is in clear lead.
“We further urge the electoral commission to put substantial surveillance on Lagos State. The APC are doing all within their means to cheat in Lagos.
“Our demand for INEC’s precaution is not limited to Lagos. It extends to other states in the Southwest and selected states in the North including Katsina, Yobe, and Borno among others”, he said.
Also, The Peoples Democratic Party has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission to take a cursory look into the election results being announced for Southern Borno area of Borno State.
A press statement signed by a spokesman of the PDP campaign, Dr. Daniel Bwala 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.
“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 evevidence 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 Southern Borno Senatorial 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 specifically Ngoshe ward, BVAS 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.”
“We call on the chairman of INEC, who also doubles as the chief national collation officer, Professor Mahmood Yakubu to take a critical look into these observations and ensure that the rules guiding the electoral processes are followed to the letters.”
