Desist from libelous allegations against Yakubu, INEC tells PDP

At Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has advised the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) not to make libel charges against its Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu.

The Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, gave the advice in Abuja, while responding to PDP’s call on Mr. Yakubu to resign from his position.

Mr. Oyekanmi said the latest call by the PDP, like the previous one, for the resignation of Mr. Yakubu as INEC chairman, was misplaced.

“Interestingly, the PDP has not provided any convincing evidence to support all the false allegations registered as Yakubu’s “offences”.

“Of course, the PDP has failed to provide evidence to prove Yakubu’s allegations” of violating the provisions of the 2022 Electoral Act, INEC Regulations and Guidelines, and criminal manipulation and alteration of election results.

“The PDP also did not provide any evidence to substantiate the claim that Prof. Yakubu “sabotaged the uploading and transmission of results from the polling unit,” he said.

Mr. Oyekanmi said, in addition, “some evidence” that the PDP claimed “abounds in the six geo-political zones of the country where the winning numbers scored by the PDP have been replaced by the APC” have also not been seen.

“Of course, INEC does not rig elections. However, the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), since its launch, among other innovations, ensures the integrity of the electoral process by ensuring that only properly registered voters are allowed to vote on election day”, he said.

Also read: Reorganize INEC before 2023 polls, PDP tells Yakubu

Mr. Oyekanmi advised the PDP to respect and proceed with the case in court.

“It is common knowledge that the PDP has rejected the results of the presidential election and vowed to challenge it in court.

“The path of honor for the party, therefore, is to proceed with the case in court, armed with all the evidence at its disposal and waiting for the court’s decision.

“But wanting to narrate the same issue as a party that wants to seek help from the courts on the pages of newspapers and asking for the resignation of the Chairman of INEC is like putting the cart before the horse.

“More importantly, the PDP warned that making libelous allegations against the INEC Chairman is possible. The party must desist from this practice,” Oyekanmi said.

The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, addressing a press conference in Abuja, said the PDP has re-examined the conduct of the February 25 presidential and National Assembly elections.

Mr. Ologunagba said the election violated the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022 and the results were manipulated to undermine the will of Nigerians.

He said the PDP had reviewed INEC’s move to reconfigure the BVAS, saying it would erase and destroy evidence of the presidential election.

He said the action was aimed at denying Nigerians and political parties, especially the PDP and its candidates, access to relevant information needed to prosecute the case at the Presidential Electoral Tribunal.

Mr. Ologunagba called on the Inspector General of Police and the Director General of the Directorate of State Services (DSS) to immediately begin investigations into the allegations of malfeasance and electoral manipulation by INEC.

He also called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate allegations that certain top officials of INEC were financially compromised to rig the electoral process.

(IN)