PDP Seeks Resignation of INEC Chairman, Yakubu

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has passed a vote of no confidence on the Prof. Mahmood Yakubu-led Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the 2019 general elections.

The opposition party said recent events in the polity showed that  INEC could  announce false results, cancel elections, alter polling procedures and allow any irregularities during the 2019 general elections once it is threatened by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) or any other group.

Addressing newsmen on Tuesday in Abuja, ‎the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan also demanded for an immediate review of voters register, particularly in Kano and Katsina States.

The party explained that the revalidation of the voters register would eliminate all "the minors" and insisted that no election must hold in these states until the register is sanitized.

"As we speak, the credibility of our electoral process under the current INEC is hugely in doubt. The nation was last Wednesday terrified by the commission’s Director of Publicity and Voter Education, Mr. OluwoleOsaze-Uzzi, who announced that INEC registered minors because its agents were threatened by members of the communities in those states.

"By this alarming and unpatriotic statement, INEC under Prof. Mahmood Yakubu has completely discredited and disqualified itself and cannot be trusted to conduct a credible, free and fair general elections in 2019.

"The import of this statement is that INEC under Prof. Yakubu is not firm in its acts and will consequently cave in and accept any form of irregularities once it is put under pressure by members of a voting community. It goes to say that this INEC can readily announce falseresults, cancel elections, alter polling procedures and allow any  irregularities during the 2019 general elections once it is threatened by the All Progressives Congress (APC) or any other group for that  matter.

"If INEC is afraid of a voting community so much so that after registering minors, it still went ahead to process their data and issue them with valid voters card, then there is no way it can withstand the  pressure and threat that we all know will be exerted by desperate APC forces, whose electoral strength, particularly in Kano and Katsina  states, is now exposed to be based on underage voters.

"In order to achieve this, we demand that the revalidation/sanitization  by INEC must be carried out under the supervision of all political parties, credible associations, reputable NGOs as well as the international community.

"Also, the plan by INEC to ask EFCC to help them monitor campaign funds is clearly an illegal and Machiavellian way of suppressing opposition’s  financial contribution and spending. It is a plot to detain, defame, intimidate and illegally block bank accounts of opposition members under the pretext that they have been mandated by INEC to monitor campaign funds.

"Nigerians have completely lost confidence in INEC under Prof. Mahmood Yakubu and we urge him to take the path of honour and do the needful before it becomes too late," the PDP said.