The All Progressives Congress barraged the Independent National Electoral Commission with many complaints Sunday over the conduct of governorship elections in Bauchi, Benue, Rivers, Kano, Sokoto, Adamawa and Plateau, accusing officials of being in cahoots with the opposition Peoples Democratic Party.
The party’s position was made known six days to the rescheduled supplementary elections in five of the states on 23 March and two days after INEC in a volte-face cancelled the planned vote in Bauchi.
In a comprehensive statement, APC National Publicity Secretary, Lanre Issa-Onilu accused Obo Effang, INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner(REC) of working in collusion with the PDP and Governor Nyesom Wike.
The APC claimed that Wike was already losing the election until INEC stepped in and stopped the process.
“It was glaring that Wike was losing until INEC stepped in to halt the process apparently to save Wike from impending defeat. INEC must put a halt to this madness and brazen illegality”.
The APC accused Effanga of doctoring the results of the election in many polling units for Wike and urged INEC chairman to transfer him out of the state.
“We call on the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu to immediately redeploy Mr. Effanga from Rivers State in order to avoid crisis that may follow the organised crime being executed by Wike and Obo Effanga to rig and alter the result of the 2019 governorship polls in Rivers State in favour of Wike.
“Since the suspension of the electoral process in Rivers State, Governor Nyesom Wike and the State REC Obo Effanga have been re-writing and doctoring unit results in Rivers State Government House to favour Wike”
The APC also criticised INEC somersault on the Bauchi election, after it adopted the report of a fact-finding committee led by Festus Okoye, a national commissioner, said to be close to PDP leaders, such as Yakubu Dogara.
INEC on Friday night said a new returning officer will resume the collation of results in Bauchi on Tuesday, with the issue around the Tafawa Balewa council torn result resolved.
But the APC said INEC could not resolve the issue on its own and that it is a matter for the court.
“We reiterate that according to Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution (as amended) and INEC Guidelines for 2019 General Elections, the electoral body is not empowered to reverse any decision taken at the Collation Centre by the Returning Officer appointed for that purpose.
“Such decisions can only be reversed by a court of law, especially when INEC cannot approbate and reprobate”, APC said.
The APC also pointed out how PDP brazenly rigged the election in Benue, using violence, vote buying and intimidation.
