Presidential poll: PDP orders Yakubu’s resignation, affirms INEC manipulated for APC

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has asked Prof. Mahmood Yakubu to relinquish his chairmanship at the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

The PDP said the call followed further review of “the widely-condemned infractions, brazen violation of the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022 and criminal manipulation and alteration of election results”.

National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba declared INEC subverted the will of Nigerians in the February 25, 2023 Presidential and National Assembly elections.

In a statement on Friday, the PDP also condemned “the latest scheme” by the commission to reconfigure the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS ahead of the state polls.

Olugunagna said NEC’s insistence was meant to “erase and destroy evidence of its manipulation of the presidential election, denying Nigerians and parties” access to relevant information.

The spokesperson claimed Yakubu “was compromised to rig the election by brazenly violating the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022 as well as INEC’s Regulations, Guidelines and Manual issued for the election”.

The PDP accused the commission of “sabotaging the uploading and transmission of results directly from Polling Units to give room for alteration and switching of election results across the nation in favour of the APC”.

Ologunagba said what transpired has been “abundantly exposed” in the pictorial and video evidence of compromised results sheets in many states,

The former lawmaker alleged that Yakubu rushed to announce and declare manipulated results that were not transmitted directly from the units to INEC’s Server/Website.

Ologunagba accused INEC of deliberate violation of the provisions of Section 64 (4) (a) and (b), 64 (6) (a)-(d), and 65 (1) (c) of the Electoral Act. 2022.

He said Section 64 (4) (a) and (b) expressly require the Chairman as the Chief Returning Officer to announce only results that were transmitted directly from PUs.

“Prof. Yakubu is not only allegedly culpable of serious electoral offence but also betrayed the trust, confidence and hope Nigerians reposed in him and INEC to deliver a free, fair and credible election,” the statement reads.

It added that the chairman’s continued stay in office stains the integrity of the commission, assaults the credibility of the electoral process, the sensibility of Nigerians and the international community.

The PDP advised citizens to remain calm “but very alert” as it had taken steps to retrieve the mandate of its presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar at the tribunal.

The first post-election statement issued by the International Republican Institute, IRI, and the National Democratic Institute, NDI, joint mission declared INEC lacked transparency during the elections.