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The Peoples Democratic Occasion (PDP) has alleged that there’s a transfer by the Impartial Nationwide Electoral Fee (INEC) to destroy proof of rigging of the 25 February presidential election.
The PDP spokesperson, Debo Ologunagba, at a press convention in Abuja on Tuesday claimed that the movement filed by INEC requesting to reconfigure the BVAS machines used for the election was a transfer to wipe out related data required by the social gathering and its candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to prosecute its case on the Presidential Election Tribunal.
The Court docket of Attraction had on 3 March granted depart to Atiku and Peter Obi of the Labour Occasion, to examine paperwork utilized by INEC for the conduct of the election.
That they had alleged that substantial non-compliance with the Electoral Act 2022 along with violence and rigging marred the conduct and final result of the election.
They, due to this fact, approached the courtroom for a depart of the courtroom to examine the delicate supplies used for conducting the election.
However on Monday, INEC filed a movement requesting that or not it’s allowed to reconfigure the BVAS machines for the governorship elections to be held on Saturday.
Mr Ologunagba mentioned if the fee had nothing to cover, why wouldn’t it rush to courtroom asking to be allowed to reconfigure the units?
“Apparently panicked by the Order, INEC rushed to courtroom to file a movement requesting the courtroom to permit it reconfigure the BVAS units with the view to erasing the knowledge contained therein.
“…….This reprehensible motion by INEC to frustrate the need of Nigerians to get redress by means of the courtroom is a transparent recipe for disaster and a deliberate design by the fee to derail our democracy and set off anarchy within the nation, ” he mentioned.
Learn the complete textual content of PDP’s press convention
Textual content of Press Convention by the Nationwide Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Occasion (PDP), Hon. Debo Ologunagba, Immediately, Tuesday, March 7, 2023, on the Strikes by INEC to Destroy Proof of its Rigging of the February 25, 2023 Presidential Election
Gents of the Press, we’ve known as you to alert Nigerians and the Worldwide Group of the atrocious transfer by the Impartial Nationwide Electoral Fee (INEC) to destroy and erase proof of its insupportable rigging of the February 25, 2023 Presidential election.
Late yesterday at 10: 10 pm, INEC in a determined transfer to forestall our Occasion and Candidate from acquiring essential proof as Ordered by the Court docket, filed a movement requesting that or not it’s allowed to reconfigure the BVAS machines and wipe out related data that our Occasion and Candidate require to prosecute our case on the Presidential Election Tribunal.
This reprehensible motion by INEC to frustrate the need of Nigerians to get redress by means of the courtroom is a transparent recipe for disaster and a deliberate design by the Fee to derail our democracy and set off anarchy within the nation.
Nigerians can recall how the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu superintended over the manipulation of the outcomes of the Presidential election and hurriedly introduced a winner regardless of widespread outcry and complain over quite a few proof of malpractices and violation of a number of provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022 by INEC and its officers.
The INEC Chairman bypassed all of the steps and procedures supplied by the Electoral Act, 2022 for the declaration of outcomes, together with to announce and declare solely outcomes that had been transmitted instantly from the Polling Items to the INEC Server/Web site and to overview the ends in the occasion of disputes and objections as to the correctness and consistency of the collated outcome.
For emphasis Part 64 (6) of the Electoral Act clearly states that;
(6) The place throughout collation of outcomes, there’s a dispute relating to a collated outcome or the results of an election from any Polling Unit, the collation officer or returning officer shall use the next to find out the correctness of the disputed result-
(a) the unique of the disputed collated outcome for every Polling Unit the place the election is disputed;
(b)the good card reader or different expertise gadget used for accreditation of voters in every polling unit the place the election is disputed for the aim of acquiring accreditation knowledge instantly from the good card reader or expertise gadget
(c) knowledge of accreditation recorded and transmitted instantly from every polling unit the place the election is disputed as prescribed underneath part 47 (2) of this Act
(d) the votes and results of the election recorded and transmitted instantly from every polling unit the place the election is disputed, as prescribed underneath part 60 (4) of this Act.
Moreover, Part 65 (1)(c) of the Electoral Act, 2022 states as follows;
S. 65.-(1) The choice of the returning officer shall be remaining on any query arising from or relating to-…. (c) declaration of scores of candidates and the return of a candidate;
Supplied that the Fee shall have the ability inside seven days to overview the declaration and return the place the Fee determines that the mentioned declaration and return was not made voluntarily or was made opposite to the provisions of the legislation, laws and tips, and guide for the election.
As an alternative of being guided by the legislation, the INEC Chairman openly introduced and declared outcomes that weren’t transmitted instantly from the Polling Items to INEC’s Server/Web site whereas ignoring the objections and complaints raised in the course of the collation in full disregard to the provisions of the Electoral Act.
ALSO READ: Attraction Court docket to rule on INEC’s software to reconfigure BVAS as Obi opposes request
Regardless of the provocative act of the INEC Chairman, the PDP as a law-abiding Occasion approached the courtroom and obtained an Order directing INEC to, amongst different issues, grant our Occasion and Candidate unrestrained entry to hold out a forensic examination of the poll papers, Knowledge kinds, BVAS/and or card readers and all different essential data, materials and proof to get redress for Nigerians on the Election Tribunal.
Apparently panicked by the Order, INEC rushed to courtroom to file a movement requesting the courtroom to permit it reconfigure the BVAS units with the view to erasing the knowledge contained therein.
Within the obnoxious movement, INEC admitted that; the “BVAS Utility shops the Accreditation Knowledge for all voters accredited on the gadget for the Presidential, Senatorial Districts and Home of Representatives elections performed on the twenty fifth February, 2023” and that the reconfiguration of the BVAS units “entails purging the Accreditation Knowledge on the BVAS units”.
This motion by INEC is vexatious, provocative and solely factors to the impunity and culpability of the Fee as regards to the reported manipulations and alteration of outcomes to disclaim our Occasion and its Candidate their victory on the Presidential election. It additional validates the truth that our Occasion and Presidential Candidate received the February 25, 2023 Presidential election, primarily based on the precise votes solid on the Polling Items.
If INEC has nothing to cover, why was it in a rush to declare manipulated outcomes with out recourse to the provisions of the Electoral Act and with out consideration of the disputes, objections and complaints raised by Events in the course of the collation course of? Why is INEC panicky and determined to erase the info within the BVAS if not that they include proof of malpractices and its culpability within the election?
The PDP as a law-abiding Occasion will proceed to pursue the matter in accordance with the legislation. We consider that regardless of the shenanigans by INEC, justice will likely be served on the finish of the day.
Thanks and God bless Nigeria.
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