The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected the results of the 2019 presidential election currently being announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
At a media briefing in Abuja on Monday, February 25, 2019, PDP chairman, Uche Secondus, said the party has evidence of several electoral misconducts committed to favour President Muhammadu Buhari of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
PDP chairman, Uche Secondus
The opposition party’s chairman said all results currently being announced by INEC are incorrect and unacceptable to the party and the Nigerian people.
He accused officials in President Buhari’s government of colluding with INEC officials to disenfranchise Nigerians and manipulate figures of polling units where the PDP won.
He said the ruling party’s strategy has been “murderous, undignified, and disrespectful of the wishes of the electorate”.
He said, “Our collation centres have the original results from all the polling units in the country. That is from where are going to reclaim our results.
“The results are incorrect and unacceptable to our party. Officials of the APC working with INEC have decided to alter results to affect our people. This must now be resisted by every well-meaning Nigerian.
“INEC must live up to its responsibility. They are under pressure. We have the facts and when the time comes, we begin to release them.”
INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu
According to the results announced by INEC in Abuja at the time of filing this report, President Buhari has won in Ekiti, Osun, Kwara and Nasarawa while the PDP’s candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has only won in Abuja.
Read full statement by Secondus below:
Our Democracy in Under Threat
Protocols:
1. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is forced to take a stand and make the following pronouncements at this crucial point because our democracy is under threat of derailment.
2. Firstly, I want to categorically state that our collation centers have all original results from every polling unit, in every ward, in every Local Government Area (LGA) in Nigeria, of which the international community is well aware, implying all results currently being announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is incorrect thus unacceptable to our party and people.
3. Secondly, officials of both President Buhari’s government and the All Progressive Congress (APC), working with INEC officers, have tried to alter the course of history and disenfranchise our people through the cancellation and manipulation of figures for results already announced at polling units, nationwide, in Local Government Areas (LGAs) where our party, the PDP, had commanding votes; this must now be resisted by every well meaning Nigerian.
4. Thirdly, the ruling party’s strategy has indeed been murderous, undignified, and disrespectful of the wishes of the electorate, our people and the international community who have been in solidarity with our nation as we attempt to strengthen our democracy and its institutions.
5. Fourthly, in full view of the watching world, and despite efforts by our great party and its agents to adhere to every laid down provision for the 2019 general elections, the APC in collusion with INEC have taken aggressive steps, mostly through inducements, manipulation and incarcerations, using the elements of state power including the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army in particular, alongside other organizations including the Department of State Security (DSS) and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to silence the voices of our long suffering people; this is disheartening, considering the terms of the Peace Accord, which called for impartiality and non-partisanship by members of our security organization with constitutional roles to play during this civic exercise.
6. Fifthly, as results trickled in on the Sunday, February 24th, 2019, clearly putting the PDP in the lead, the ruling party and President Buhari dispatched high-ranking officials to coercively influence outcomes in different geopolitical zones in the country. For example:
I. The minister of the interior, was dispatched to the North West of the country
II. The Secretary of the Government of the Federation was dispatched to the North East of the country; while the
III. The Attorney General and Minister were dispatched to the South East and South-South regions.
