The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday criticized the pronouncement of the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, as the winner of Saturday’s presidential election, saying that its candidate, Atiku Abubakar, really won the keenly contested poll.
The main opposition party made the announcement in a statement signed by Hon. Debo Ologunagba, its National Publicity Secretary.
Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State, was named president-elect after receiving 8,794,726 votes in the 2023 presidential election.
Professor Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman of INEC, proclaimed Tinubu as the winner in the early hours of Wednesday at the International Collation Centre in Abuja.
But, the main opposition asked the electoral umpire on Thursday to “immediately remove Tinubu’s Certificate of Return and nullify the presidential election.”
According to the PDP, the request was made in accordance with INEC’s authority under Section 65 of the Electoral Act 2022.
According to the largest opposition party, INEC violated the terms of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), the Electoral Act 2022, and the INEC rules and procedures for the conduct of the 2023 presidential election by proclaiming Tinubu the winner.
“The PDP holds that its Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, clearly won the February 25, 2023 Presidential election, having plainly secured the majority of valid votes cast by Nigerians at the Polling Units,” according to the statement.
“Sadly, the election was plagued by purposeful malpractices including the non-use of the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System and INEC’s refusal/failure to transfer directly the results from Polling Units to its Server/Website in blatant contravention of Section 60 (4)(b) of the Electoral Act 2022.
“As proved to by political parties, voters, Nigerians from all walks of life, as well as local and international observers, INEC’s breach of the Election Act created the ground for the alteration, falsification, switching of results, and allocation of figures in favor of the APC.”
“By refusing to transmit immediately the results from the Polling Units, INEC violated the Electoral Act and its Rules and Regulations, jeopardized the process, and tarnished the integrity and legitimacy of the election results,” it continued.
“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 initiated a case for legal remedy to retrieve our win in the 2023 Presidential election.
“We urge our numerous supporters in Nigeria and throughout the world to stay calm, resilient, strong, and steadfast in their support for democracy and our Party’s success in the 2023 presidential elections.”
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