PDP berates INEC for allegedly frustrating issuance of certified results

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has been disturbing Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) through an alleged directive aimed at simplifying the procedure for issuing Certified True Copies (CTC) of the EC8A form.

The PDP Presidential Campaign Council spokesperson, Charles Aniagwu, stated this at a press conference on Friday in Asaba.

Mr. Aniagwu stated that the INEC headquarters has directed the Electoral Commissioners (REC) in the states and FCT to ensure comparison with the Result Viewing Portal (IRev) data before the CTC is issued from the EC8A form.

He called on INEC to do the right thing by allowing the states, which were the original source of the document, to issue the same without comparing it with the IREV data.

Mr Aniagwu said the reason the PDP is seeking the CTC from the EC8A form is to prove its case in the presidential election tribunal.

He noted that INEC’s directive to declare the REC to compare with the IREV figures would be detrimental to the case as the party has disputed the content of the IREV data.

According to him, the presidential election has come and gone but since our party is not satisfied with the conduct of the election, we feel that there is a need to challenge the result in court.

“We can get a court order asking INEC to get all the relevant documents that will help us prove our case.

“However, we are surprised that INEC in an unsigned document sent to the State Electoral Commissioner not to issue the EC8A form without comparing it with the IREV records at the Commission headquarters.

“This directive is a deviation from the usual procedure for issuing Certified True Copies of EC8A forms in relation to the results of the state.

“The most important data here is the primary data based on which the state REC and INEC knew that the directive was not the correct procedure, so they refused to sign the document,” Mr Aniagwu said.

He said the IREV portal had been interrogated by the party when it asked INEC for RECs to upload CTC from EC8A form without recourse to IRev.

“The IREV portal in this case is secondary data because the primary data in the form of EC8A is domiciled with REC.

“Now we cannot trust that what is uploaded on the IREV portal will happen because of the delay in uploading the data.

“In fact, it is the INEC headquarters that is supposed to confirm from the state and not the other way around because the main source of the EC8A form is the state,” Mr. Aniagwu said.

On the governorship election in Delta, Aniagwu said the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state has no electoral case because Sheriff Oborevwori won fair and square.

“The Delta State Governorship election was won fair and square and Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege and APC ran to the media claiming manipulation in parts of the state, especially the 21 local governments that PDP won is preposterous and we call on them to go and prepare for 2027 .

“This election is won and lost and he knows it because he brought a candidate that the people of Delta cannot accept.

“So, we advise the APC in Delta to organize itself for 2027 because the result of the governorship election is a true reflection of what is happening on the ground,” he said.

(AT)