PDP accuses Jega of secretly meeting with APC leaders

monjola sotubo

February 12, 2015 3:56 PM

The ruling party made the allegations on Wednesday, February 11, through the Director of Media and Publicity of its Presidential Campaign Organisation, Femi Fani-Kayode.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Attahiru Jega of colluding with the All Progressives Congress (APC) to rig the upcoming general elections.

The ruling party made the allegations on Wednesday, February 11, through the Director of Media and Publicity of its Presidential Campaign Organisation, Femi Fani-Kayode.

Fani-Kayode also alleged that Jega had attended a meeting in Dubai with some leaders of the APC.

“Pieces of information at our disposal have shown that Jega has had meetings with the APC stalwarts in Dubai and other cities in the world to perfect this wanton conspiracy against 23 million eligible voters. Besides, we have information that the PVCs that Nigerians are scrambling for are not in Nigeria and will not arrive before the elections,” Fani-Kayode said.

“These PVCs are still in China and Jega has strategically delayed their arrival to suit his electioneering permutations. The matter is that INEC has failed in its responsibility to produce and distribute PVCs to about 34 per cent of registered voters who would require the cards to vote in the elections. This brings us to the issue of statistics of PVC distribution and collection which we believe Jega, as a person acting in concert with some forces of retrogression, is playing games with,” he added.

“We express our concerns today that Jega may have decided to aid the APC to rig the forthcoming elections through the manipulation of the production, distribution and collection of PVCs, such that emerging trends have consistently shown calculated attempts to deprive parts of the country that would traditionally vote for President Jonathan of their PVCs,” he concluded.

The allegations have however been denied by the both the APC and INEC.

“INEC doesn’t join issues with political parties, because the commission is a dispassionate umpire,” Jega’s Chief Press Secretary Kayode Idowu, said.

The APC also denied the reports through its National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed who said:

“I’m in Abuja with some of our leaders. Baba Bisi Akande is here, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is here, former Governor Kayode Fayemi is here. Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is in Lagos. No leader of the APC is outside the country. So, tell me who is Jega meeting? Is it members of our NEC? Not one of our leaders is outside the country. This people are paranoid. We are preparing for our NEC meeting. We have some of our governors here. The PDP is paranoid"

monjola sotubo