The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday berated the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, for claiming that INEC ws the most improved service institution in the country.
The opposition party said in reality, the electoral umpire had become “the most debased, degraded and corrupted institution, particularly with the rigging of the 2019 presidential election.”
The statement by the national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan said, “In making such reckless claims at a time Nigerians and the
international community are in huge disappointment over the
irregularities, violation of rules, alteration of results and outright
rigging that characterized the last elections, Prof. Yakubu has further
confirmed that the commission under his watch is 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
apologizing is rather insulting their sensibilities with his provocative
claims.”
The PDP said “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.
“How can anyone in good conscience make such spurious claims when the
massive irregularities that defaced the 2019 elections is responsible
for the unprecedented 766 election petitions across the country as
against 297 petitions filed in the 2015 elections?
“It is indeed an unpardonable affront on the sensibility of Nigerians for
Prof. Yakubu to claim that this INEC that has become notorious for
compromised voters register, missing ballot papers, alteration of
results and inconclusive elections, is the most improved service
institution in the country.
‘Moreover, is it not completely preposterous for Prof. Yakubu to claim
that INEC is the only agency which has offices in all LGAs and whose
staff work exceptionally hard when there are many more agencies with
offices in all the LGAs that engage in very tedious national
assignments, even with far less allocation than INEC.
‘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
mobilizes thousands of corps members across the country yet without
incidences of inconclusive mobilization or missing service materials?
“Furthermore, 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 counseled the INEC boss “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).”
