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Presidential Campaign Council of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Monday alleged the main opposition political parties were shopping for court orders to stop announcement of presidential election held Saturday.
The parties accused are the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP).
Addressing a press conference Monday in Abuja, Director of Public Affairs and Chief Spokesperson, Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council, Festus Keyamo, SAN, said both the PDP and the LP had allegedly perfected plans to scuttle democracy and throw the country into constitutional crises.
Keyamo said: “We have it on good authority that the Peoples Democratic Party and the Labour Party have perfected plans to finally scuttle our democracy and throw the country into constitutional crises by surreptitiously obtaining exparte court orders stopping the announcement of the Presidential Election results which they fear have gone against them.
“The walk-out they staged today at the National Collation Center is just a precursor to executing the plan.
“Nigerians would recall that the June 12, 1993 debacle that brought Nigeria to its knees and caused our country international isolation was precipitated by a court injunction stopping the announcement of Presidential Election results. The court order was obtained by a certain Association for Better Nigeria headed then by one Chief Authur Nzeribe. This is exactly what Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Mr. Peter Obi want to foist on this nation again because of their inordinate ambitions. This is not surprising because both candidates where nowhere to be seen when ASIWAJU was fighting for the democracy we all enjoy today.
“However, we wish to draw the attention of Nigerians, the Judiciary and the world to the provisions of section 84 (15) of the Electoral Act which prohibits the grant of injunctions to stop the holding of elections (which includes the declaration of results).”
Reading the text of the press conference, Special Adviser on Media to the presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, Dele Alake, called on the security agencies to immediately invite for questioning Pastor Paul Enenche of Dunamis Church and spokesmen of PDP presidential campaign council for inciting statements.
According to APC, The results trickling in since the close of voting on Saturday have clearly shown the direction Nigerians have chosen to go.
Alake said: “We note with utmost concern those inciting comments and call to violence by some spokespersons of the opposition, especially those from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). We are particularly concerned and call on the State Security Services and the Nigeria Police Force to immediately restrain persons such as Dino Melaye, Dele Momodu and a certain Pastor Paul Enenche of Dunamis Church from their clear call to violence.
“Melaye’s tweet threatening violence, Momodu going on the TV to announce a purported winner and Enenche’s hate speech from the pulpit violate every law of the land. They should not go scot-free.
“When failure stared them in the face, rather than accept the outcome with dignity like good democrats would, some sore losers began shopping for ways to cut corners or scuttle the process. We have seen many doctored results giving false victory to the Labour Party in places where it performed abysmally poor. The idea was to give its followers hope and prepare them for a planned street insurrection. The PDP has employed almost similar tactics despite secretly admitting defeat. They went about with mouthwatering offers looking for willing partners that would help them subvert the will of the people.
“Perhaps having failed to procure officials to help it doctor results, the PDP earlier today rented willing airwaves to make very dangerous statements on the election.
“We also wonder why agents of the party at the Abuja collation centre are pushing insistently for the uploading of the results on INEC portal, when section 60 of the Electoral Act is clear about who has the power to do so at the polling unit. The state collation officer has no such power. The INEC chairman, who collates what has been collated from the states also, has no such power.”
Why results can’t stay- PDP
But the PDP asked INEC to halt the ongoing announcement of results of the presidential election.
Addressing a world press conference Monday in Abuja, PDP National Publicity Secretary Debo Ologunagba alleged that from the votes cast at the Polling Units across the country, its candidate substantially defeated his APC counterpart.
Citing Section 64 (4) (b) of the Electoral Act, 2022 which stated that “A collation officer or returning officer at an election shall collate and announce the result of an election subject to his or her verification and confirmation that the (b) votes stated on the collated result are correct and consistent with the votes or results recorded and transmitted directly from Polling Units under Section (60) (4) of this Act” charged the electoral umpire to follow the due process.
“Consequent on the above Section 60 (4) of the Electoral Act 2022, any result announced by INEC is ultra vires, illegal, and of no consequence, unless they are results already transmitted DIRECTLY from the Polling Units. So procedurally, INEC cannot continue to announce results that are yet to be transmitted as expressly stated in the relevant Sections of the Electoral Act.
“The integrity of this election has been compromised and vitiated by the admission of INEC officials that there was a technical glitch amid the election which affected the effective functioning of the BVAS machines.
“Furthermore, the Integrity of the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu is at stake having regard to his multiple representation and assurances to Nigerians and the International Community that the Electoral Act 2022, is a game changer that will guarantee a free, fair, and transparent electoral process especially as it relates to the direct transmission of election results from Polling Units at all elections.
“It is therefore curious that the INEC Chairman will insist on proceeding with the announcement of election results which are not transmitted directly from the Polling Units to the INEC Server/Website as required by the Electoral Act.
“Information at our disposal indicates that INEC deliberately refused to commence the process of announcement of results more than 48 hours after the close of election and collation of results from the various Polling Units, which result by law was expected to be transmitted directly into INEC Server/Website as provided for under Section 68 of the Electoral Act 2022.
“This deliberate delay and criminal connivance by INEC provided the opportunity for the reported compromise, alteration, falsification and switching of election results in favor of the APC in Kano, Katsina, Jigawa, Ondo, Ekiti, Kebbi, Ogun and other States where our candidate was in a clear lead.
“The PDP, therefore rejects the manipulated election results as announced by INEC.
“Our Party cautions that INEC is pushing Nigerians to the wall by announcing manipulated results.
“We are aware that INEC embarked on extensive and illegal cancellation of election results in many States of the country. For instance, in Sokoto State over 200 Polling Units results where the PDP is in the clear lead have also been canceled thereby disenfranchising over 200,000 registered voters.
“The PDP on behalf of Nigerians and in the interest of national peace, demands that INEC halts further announcement of manipulated results and immediately transmit the authentic elections results from the Polling Units directly to its Server/Website as required by law before continuation of announcement of results,” the party said.
(Blueprint)
