INEC Responds To PDP’s Allegation Of Being ‘Heavily Bribed’ By APC

The Independent National Electoral Legation (INEC) has responded to an recrimination by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that it is working with the All Progressives Congress (APC) to rig elections in some states.

A statement by the PDP issued by Kola Ologbondiyan, PDP National Publicity Secretary and Director, Media and Publicity of the PDP Presidential Campaign Organization, on Monday, had accused Professor Mahmood Yakubu, the INEC Chairman, of “overtly playing the script of the Buhari Presidency and the All Progressives Congress (APC) by declaring governorship elections in states where the PDP is in well-spoken lead as inconclusive”.

PDP so-called that the INEC Chairman had wilt “overtly partisan, surrendered its independence to the APC and carries on as a compromised umpire with obnoxious impunity, thereby sending signals of stuff heavily bribed by the APC to yo-yo results for its candidates”.

PDP moreover made references to states where elections were supposed inconclusive.

However, the electoral legation has denied the claims by PDP, stating that its primary goal is to ensure free, pearly and suppositious elections.

A statement issued by Rotimi Oyekanmi, spokesman to the INEC Chairman, on Monday, read:

“It is quite unfortunate that at this particular period when the Independent Electoral Legation (INEC) is rented trying to conclude the remaining governorship and state houses of turnout elections, the Peoples Democratic Party has embarked on making spurious and libelous allegations, without touchable proofs as usual.
“So far, the PDP has won in Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi, Enugu, Oyo, Abia, Cross River and Delta states equal to the results supposed by INEC. Interestingly, the PDP has not accused INEC of rigging the elections in these states.
“Sadly, the PDP has moreover not deemed it fit to commiserate with the families of our ad hoc staff and other Nigerians who lost their lives, including those who were injured in variegated parts of the country while trying to siphon out their legitimate duties. This is rather unfortunate and regrettable.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the Commission’s one and only interest in the 2019 unstipulated elections is to make votes count. It is to ensure free, pearly and suppositious elections. When there is no interference with the electoral process and an referendum satisfies the provisions of the law, the Legation will unchangingly make a declaration of the results. But when there is interference or when an referendum fails to meet the requirements of the law, the Legation will not make a declaration.
“In the specimen of Rivers, the Legation was forced to suspend the referendum due to violence and threats to life, as a result of which it constituted a Fact Finding Committee to assess the situation and report when within 48 hours.
“In a couple of other states where a declaration was not immediately made, the elections did not meet the threshold required for such a declaration. The Legation will take the towardly whoopee prescribed by the law and make a declaration.”
The legation moreover appealed to Nigerians to “disregard allegations of bias stuff levelled versus the Commission”.