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Israel Arogbonlo
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday, faulted the declaration of All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, as the winner of Saturday’s presidential election, adding that the battle to reclaim its “stolen mandate” is “no retreat, no surrender”
The spokesperson for the Atiku/Okowa Campaign Organisation, Dino Melaye disclosed this during a world press conference held in Abuja, on Thursday.
Also, in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, the main opposition party asked the electoral umpire to immediately withdraws the Certificate of Return issued to Tinubu and cancel the presidential election.
The request, the PDP claim, was in line with INEC powers under Section 65 of the Electoral Act 2022.
“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,” the statement partly read.
Earlier, Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate had also rejected the emergence of Bola Tinubu as Nigeria’s president-elect describing the process as “electoral rascality”.
He vowed to challenge the outcome of the February 25 poll in court while calling on his supporters to remain calm and civil, as he reclaims his “stolen mandate”.
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