The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has berated the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, over claims that INEC was the most improved service institution in the country.
In a press statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, PDP said it was a false claim because in reality, INEC had become the most debased, degraded and corrupted institution, particularly with the rigging of the 2019 Presidential election.
The PDP said in making such reckless claims at a time Nigerians and the international community were hugely disappointed over the irregularities, violation of rules, alteration of results and outright rigging that characterised the last elections, Prof. Yakubu had further confirmed that the commission under his watch was decadent and compromised.
“It is indeed outrageous that while Nigerians are hurting over the subversion of their mandate, the INEC Chairman, who ought to be apologising is rather insulting their sensibilities with his provocative claims.
“Prof. Yakubu cannot claim that INEC, under his watch, is the most improved service institution when all indices show that it performed far below the bar in the 2019 elections.
The party queried why anyone in good conscience could make such spurious claims when the massive irregularities that defaced the 2019 elections was responsible for the unprecedented 766 election petitions across the country as against 297 petitions filed in the 2015 elections?
The PDP said it was indeed an unpardonable affront on the sensibility of Nigerians for Yakubu to claim that this INEC that had become notorious for compromised voters register, missing ballot papers, alteration of results and inconclusive elections, was the most improved service institution in the country.
“What would the INEC Chairman say about an agency like the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, which has offices in all the LGAs and yearly mobilises thousands of corps members across the country, yet without incidences of inconclusive mobilisation or missing service materials?
“If INEC is the most improved institution and has nothing to hide as Prof. Yakubu claims, why is it afraid to allow an inspection or judicial audit of the sensitive materials and devices it used in the 2019 general elections, including its server?
The PDP therefore, advised the INEC Chairman to save the nation an unnecessary stress by admitting the obvious irregularities in the 2019 general elections and that the commission he heads rigged the Presidential poll for the All Progressives Congress, APC.
