Victor EzejaChairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Mahmood Yakubu, has threatened to sue the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the allegations that he rigged the presidential and National Assembly elections held on 25th February.
The INEC boss made the threat while reacting to a statement from the PDP on Friday, 9th March 2023, demanding his resignation over what allegedly transpired during the last election.
The opposition party in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, said Prof Yakubu violated provisions of the Electoral Act and the Commission’s guidelines for elections. It specifically accused the INEC chairman of sabotaging the upload of election results from polling units and manipulation of election results.
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The party charged the police and Department of State Services to investigate the INEC chairman over alleged manipulation of the election results.
It also accused the electoral body of embarking on the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices reconfiguration to distort evidence that could be accessed by interested parties to prosecute a case regarding the election.
However, a statement by the INEC chairman’s Chief Press Secretary, Rotimi Oyekanmi, said it is a “spurious allegations,” adding that the call for Yakubu’s resignation was not in order.
Oyekanmi wondered why PDP could not provide evidence to back up its claims that the election results were manipulated.
The spokesperson challenged the PDP to prove its claim in court rather than using the media to call for the resignation of the INEC chairman.
He pointed out that the opposition party did not provide evidence of how Yakubu sabotaged the uploading and transmission of results from polling units.
He said that the electoral body “does not rig election”, emphasising that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, “has ensured the integrity of the electoral process.”
The INEC chairman spokesperson said it is preposterous for the PDP after rejecting the outcome of the 25th February election and threatening to go to court, to resort to a media trial.
He said: “Canvassing the same issues the party intends to plead in court on the pages of newspapers and calling for the resignation of the INEC Chairman is like putting the cart before the horse.
“The PDP is hereby reminded that making libellous allegations against the person of the INEC Chairman is actionable,” he added.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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