PDP demands INEC conducts fresh elections in 3 states

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has demanded the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) conducts fresh elections in Yobe, Zamfara, and Borno states.

During a press conference on Tuesday, February 26, 2019, the Deputy Director General of the party's presidential campaign organisation, Tanimu Turaki (SAN), accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of manipulating the elections in its favour.

He said the results submitted by INEC's presiding officers in the affected states should be cancelled and fresh elections conducted due to a string of electoral misconducts.

Turaki said the total number of votes submitted as cast (775,449) in Yobe was more than the number of accredited voters (601,056).

He noted that the Electoral Act makes provisions of rendering an election null and void when there's a clear case of over-voting, after which another election should be conducted.

Turaki also alleged that no actual voting took place in Zamfara State, and reported that an APC member was caught in Shinkafi local government area of the state thumb-printing ballot papers inside his house.

"Results from the presiding officer from Zamfara were concocted and allocated according to the wishes of the leadership of the APC and INEC.

"The PDP therefore demands the outright deletion of the results from Zamfara from INEC records and a conduct of free, fair and credible Presidential election in Zamfara state," Turaki said.

He also alleged that the election in Borno was a "figure writing exercise and allocation of results according to the whims and caprices of the APC leaders".

The party demanded the outright deletion of the results from Borno from INEC records and the conduct of a free, fair and credible presidential election in Borno state.

The party further demanded for the restoration of over 157,000 votes that it claimed were unlawfully and arbitrarily cancelled by INEC.

The party similarly demanded the immediate restoration of over 79,000 cancelled votes in Kogi, 27,000 votes in the Federal Capital Territory, and 30,000 votes in Plateau.

"The PDP therefore calls on Nigerians to disregard the results until INEC provides the data from the smart card reader accreditation at the polling units, conducts fresh election in Borno, Yobe and Zamfara states as well as restore our votes in Plateau, FCT, Kogi and Nasarawa states.

"The PDP maintains that from the actual votes delivered at the polling units, which we all have, Nigerians clearly and unequivocally gave their mandate to Atiku Abubakar," the statement read.

The party called for INEC to stop the announcement of result of the 2019 presidential election until data from the smart card reader accreditation at the polling units are made available to all the parties involved in the election.

Of the results announced in 28 states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), as at the time of filing this report, Buhari has won 12,061,230 votes, putting a good distance between him and Atiku who has won 8,592,340 votes.

While Buhari has won the majority of votes in 15 states, Atiku, a former vice president, has won in 13 states. The results of the remaining nine states are expected to be announced between late Tuesday and early Wednesday, February 27.