The attention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been drawn to a
press release by an amorphous group parading as “Forum of Presidential
Candidates of the 2019 Elections and National Party Chairmen” lending
support to denial by the Independent National Electoral Commission
(INEC) of the existence of the server it used in the 2019 general
elections.
This group, our investigation reveals, was hurriedly conjured by
leadership of INEC and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to assist
them in distorting facts, and making misrepresentations on a matter that
are already subjudice, all in their attempt to clean up INEC’s blunders
on the existence of the server, sway judicial pronouncements and
influence public opinion on extant matters in court
The PDP invites Nigerians to note that the press release by this
nebulous group emerged after INEC’s several blunders while the
Presidency has already admitted that the claim by the PDP and millions
of Nigerians that INEC had a server wherein it stored results of the
2019 elections, “constitutes the fulcrum” of contention in the
Presidential election.
Nigerians are already aware of the existence of the server, which was
duly budgeted for, set up in various INEC offices and in which data from
the elections, including results, were stored. Moreover, the ruling of
the Court of Appeal preventing the PDP from inspecting the server does
not in any way obviate the existence of the said server.
Furthermore, PDP counsels that instead of engaging in this unnecessary
media trial, INEC should have listed its nebulous group as witness in
the election tribunal.
We also challenge INEC to confront the indictment contained in the
reports of the European Union and other international agencies which
showed evidence that the 2019 general elections were marred by
irregularities and violation of rules by the Commission.
It is therefore unfortunate that at a time when the Chairman of INEC,
Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, ought to be apologizing to Nigerians for the
failure of the commission he leads to conduct a credible, free and fair
election, a mass electoral failure consequent upon which the nation has
over 766 election cases across the country, his commission is now
contracting faceless groups to launder its sinking image and pass a
confidence vote on Yakubu.
The PDP therefore counsels INEC to own up to its failures put an end to
its consistent denials on the existence of the server as justice will be
served at the end of the day.
Signed:
Kola Ologbondiyan
National Publicity Secretary
