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PDP says INEC has questions to answer as under-aged voters have PVC

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PDP chair Secondus drags Minister Lai to court, wants N1.5bn, widespread apology

Ahead 2019 general elections, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) seems to have passed a vote of no confidence on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The party submitted, that the electoral umpire is completely unreliable and cannot be trusted.

The party said that Nigerians have lost confidence in the electoral body for trying to cover “its complicity in the widespread impunity recorded in last Saturday’s Kano local council elections, particularly the documented massive underage voting that characterized the exercise.”

According to the PDP, it was INEC that registered the minors as voters in the first place and as such should not in any way attempt to exonerate itself of involvement in the electoral fraud, simply because it did not directly conduct the elections.

This was contained in a statement PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, signed and released on Wednesday, adding that the press release by INEC, wherein it tried to exonerate itself from culpability in the participation of minors in Kano election, “clearly shows that INEC under Professor Mahmood Yakubu is completely unreliable and cannot be trusted.”

The statement read, “We ask, who is fooling who? Is it not INEC that registered the minors and issued them with Permanent Voter’s Cards (PVC) to participate in elections as clearly documented in the Kano council election? Can INEC truly acquit itself as the original culprit who set the stage for the eventual participation of the minors and overall rigging of the elections?

“By resorting to lame excuses and trying to exonerate itself at a time it should be taking decisive steps to protect the sanctity of its sensitive materials such as the PVC, this INEC has shown that it cannot be relied upon as a responsible and trustworthy electoral umpire.

“Indeed, if this INEC was serious about the sanctity of sensitive electoral materials, by now, it should have ordered the immediate review of its voter register in Kano and Katsina states, fishing out and prosecuting those who registered the minors and clean up the electoral system in the affected states.

“Viewed alongside series of numerous other irregularities being allowed by INEC to favor the ruling APC, including alleged conspiracy with APC-controlled security operatives to intimidate opposition members and manipulate elections as witnessed in the last Saturday’s Mashi/Dutsi Federal Constituency Supplementary election in Katsina state, any reasonable person will decode that INEC, as presently constituted, has serious questions to answer, especially as we approach the 2019 general elections.”

READ ALSO: Pictures of underage voters were children during school assembly –Gov Ganduje

The party insisted that the statement by INEC was a strong evidence of irregularities and violations in the elections, and charged the commission to redeem its name by immediately reviewing and sanitizing its voter registers in affected states, particularly, Kano and Katsina, “as that is the only way it can demonstrate its dependability to Nigerians.”

It added, “Finally, we want INEC to note, and in very strong terms too, that Nigerians will not accept anything short of credible, free and fair general election. The commission should therefore ensure that it does not allow itself to be used by the APC against the will of the people, particularly in the 2019 elections, as such will be highly resisted.”

 

 

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0 Comments

  1. Isa Adam

    February 14, 2018 at 8:58 pm

    PDP SHOULD APOLOGIZE FOR THEIR 16 YEARS OF BAD GOVERNANCE AND RETURN THE MONEY THEY LOOTED FROM OUR TREASURY FIRST BEFORE TALKING OF COMING BACK TO RULE

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