Under Yakubu, Inec Has Been Unable To Conduct Conclusive Elections – Pdp

BEVERLY HILLS, March 21, (THEWILL) – Following the suspension of the rerun electoral process in Rivers state, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has bemoaned the inability of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to conduct any conclusive election since Professor Mahmood Yakubu emerged Chairman of the national electoral body.

The main opposition party, in a statement issued on Monday by its spokesman, Olisa Metuh, wondered how INEC will conduct general elections in the country if it could not organise a rerun poll in Rivers. It stressed that the conduct of the electoral body and security operatives fell short of the expected standard in view of the level of mobilisation and preparedness made.

The PDP also condemned security operatives over the “shoddy work” they carried out during the Rivers poll, stressing that same was responsible for the escalation of violence, avoidable deaths and eventual cancellation of election results in eight local government areas in the state.

It requested Nigerians and the international community to hold INEC, security operatives and the All Progressives Congress, APC, responsible for any breakdown of law and order in the state that may be triggered by the non-release of the final results.

According to the party, “the only reason for the seizure of the results is the fact that the PDP candidates were in clear and overwhelming victory in all the reruns, prompting the APC, in connivance with INEC, to seek to use the delay to manipulate the results.

“Nigerians and the international community can now see the desperation of the APC, which has now arm-twisted INEC in the unholy bid to alter the results of the elections and subvert the will of the people.

“We want the APC and INEC to mark the salient fact that the PDP, the people of Rivers state and indeed all Nigerians are already aware of the results from respective polling centres, wards and local government areas and will in no way whatsoever accept any final result that does not tally with the actual and already established figures from the polling units.

“We wish to remind the APC and INEC that Rivers state is a known stronghold of the PDP and the results from the elections cannot show otherwise. INEC should therefore understand that Nigerians are aware that in withholding the final results, they are ostensibly preparing grounds for chaos in the state.

“While we invite all to note the avoidable growing tension occasioned by the desperation of the APC to steal the mandate of the people, we caution INEC to extricate itself from the evil web and immediately release all the final results of the ballot as cast by the people and nothing more.”