PDP accuses INEC chairman of denying Atiku access to inspect election materials
- PDP has accused the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Yakubu Mahmood of denying Atiku Abubakar access to inspect election material
- The party said the electoral body has refused to obey the March 6, 2019 ruling of the Appeal Court
- According to PDP, INEC plans collaborate with APC to frustrate the people-backed resolve by Atiku and the party
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Saturday, March 16, accused the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Yakubu Mahmood of denying the party and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, access to inspect electoral materials.
The party in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Kola Ologbondiya, said Mahmood and INEC has refused to obey the March 6, 2019 ruling of the Appeal Court.
Ologbondiya said the alleged attempt to disobey the court order is a deliberate and wicked ploy by INEC and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to frustrate the people-backed resolve by Atiku Abubakar and the PDP.
READ ALSO: Presidency keeps mum on Buhari’s CSO removal
He said the party had written the electoral body through its legal team on March 11 and 12 respectively causing the order to be served on INEC and requesting access to the said documents and materials.
Ologbondiya said: "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.
READ ALSO: Breaking: APC rejects INEC’s decision on Bauchi governorship election
"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," Ologbondiya said.
The party further urged INEC to 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."
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the APC in Bauchi had rejected the decision by the IINEC to cancel the scheduled supplementary election in Tafawa Balewa local government area of the state. The party said the decision and action taken by the INEC is null and void.
PAY ATTENTION: Get the Latest Nigerian News Anywhere 24/7. Spend less on the Internet!
Speaking during a press conference in Bauchi on Saturday, March 16, the Bauchi state APC chairman, Uba Nana, said the position taken by the electoral body contravenes the provisions of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended.
Nana said INEC is not empowered to reverse any decision taken at the Collation Center by the Returning Officer appointed for that purpose.
NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng: Same great journalism, upgraded for better service!
2019 elections: Do you still trust INEC to conduct fair elections? - Nigerians speak| Legit TV
Source: Legit.ng