The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected the declaration of Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, as the winner of Saturday’s presidential election.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, the PDP insisted that its flag bearer, Atiku Abubakar, had won the hotly contested election.
Tinubu was declared president-elect by the Independent National Electoral Commission on Wednesday. However, the main opposition announced on Thursday that it has begun legal proceedings to reclaim its mandate.
It requested that the electoral umpire immediately withdraw Tinubu’s Certificate of Return and cancel the presidential election.
The statement read, “The PDP holds that its Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar clearly won the February 25, 2023, Presidential election having evidently scored the majority of lawful votes cast by Nigerians at the Polling Units.
“Sadly, the election was marred by deliberate malpractices including the non-use of the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System and INEC’s refusal/failure to transmit directly the results from Polling Units to its Server/Website in flagrant violation of Section 60 (4)(b) of the Electoral Act 2022.
“This violation of the Electoral Act by INEC as attested to by political parties, voters, Nigerians of all walks of life as well as local and International Observers, paved the way for the alteration, falsification, switching of results and allocation of figures in favour of the APC.
“By refusing therefore to transmit directly the results from the Polling Units, INEC violated the Electoral Act and its Rules and Regulation compromised the process and marred the integrity and credibility of the election results.
“The PDP, therefore, asserts that consequent upon the violation by INEC of Section 60 (4) of the Electoral Act, 2022 and its Rules and Guidelines on the election, the results announced by the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, having not been earlier transmitted directly from the Polling Units before the announcement are ultra vires, of no consequence and cannot stand.
“Consequently, our party and its presidential candidate have commenced an action for legal redress to reclaim our victory in the 2023 Presidential election. We appeal to our numerous supporters in Nigeria and across the world to remain calm, resilient, resolute and steadfast in the defence of democracy and the victory of our Party in the 2023 presidential elections.”
Source – Tru News Report
