The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential campaign council has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to suspend the ongoing collation of election results.
The PDP campaign also asked the electoral body to declare the presidential election inconclusive.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Daniel Bwala, spokesperson of the PDP campaign, said the “elections have been criticized across the board as one that is marred by irregularities and total departure from the electoral act amendment”.
“This has led to a constitutional logjam created by the protest pull out of the coalition of political parties which has now led us to a situation of inclusive elections. Elections are only concluded when votes are cast, results are announced and winners returned,” the statement reads.
What is clear and undisputed to all at this stage is that INEC is refusing to address the observed problems and objections that have been widely expressed and shared and also corroborated by the report of the major stakeholders in the country, former presidents and international observers. What is not clear is the intentions of the INEC chairman and INEC as a commission.
“Section 65 of the electoral act mandates the INEC chairman to correct every anomaly (s) raised by stakeholders of the process (political party and their agents) within 7 days.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the electoral act is clear and unambiguous to the effect that the anomalies must be corrected before the final declaration of results and return, and not the order way.
So INEC should desist from any interpretation that will mislead the political parties because pushing the review after the final declaration is tantamount to an exercise in futility and a planned attempt to sidestep section 65 and the very reason for its provision in the electoral act in the first place.
“Therefore, the options available to the INEC chairman in law, fairness, transparency, equity and good conscience are thus.
“Suspend national collation immediately and address the complaints raised by parties relating to BVAS bypass and electronic transmission of results.
“Set a date for the conduct of elections in the affected places and ensure results are uploaded as contained in the guidelines. The said elections must be free and fair and BVAS used accordingly
“Cancel all the collated and announced results so far until such a time when all the results collated at the polling units alone be uploaded to the INEC server, same only be announced, duplicate copies of which all party agents have for transparency sake.
“Declare this election inconclusive and set a date for the conduct of elections that addresses areas where BVAS was not used and where violence occurred which suppress the voting rights of the people
“Address the Nigerian public in a televised speech on the sanctity of the processes and integrity of his person to regain the confidence of the Nigerian people and the international community.”