INEC Boss Acting APC’s Script ― PDP | Nairalaw

* Directs members to march out for protest

Following the declaration as inconclusive of some state
gubernatorial elections by the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused
the Chairman of the commission of playing the script of the ruling
All Progressive Congress (APC).

INEC declared the elections in Bauchi, Adamawa, Sokoto, and
Plateau, where the PDP was leading from the results announced so
far while the electoral process was suspended in Rivers State.

Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Monday, Kola
Ologbondiyan, National Publicity Secretary and Director, Media
& Publicity PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, decried the
action of the electoral umpire “in states where the PDP is in clear
lead.”

The PDP insisted that INEC, under Prof. Yakubu, has become
“overtly partisan, surrendered its independence to the APC and
carries on as a compromised umpire with obnoxious impunity, thereby
sending signals of being heavily bribed by the APC to alter results
for its candidates.”

The PDP said it has full intelligence of how INEC was acting on
instructions from the Buhari Presidency and the APC in
orchestrating unwholesome situations and declaring already
concluded governorship elections in Sokoto, Adamawa, Bauchi,
Plateau as well as other states as inconclusive, immediately it
becomes obvious that the PDP was set to win.

According to the party spokesman, this also informed the
foisting of unexplainable stoppage and delays in the announcement
of already collated results in other states where the PDP was
clearly leading the race, from the results so far declared at the
polling units.

He said PDP has also been informed of how INEC was now seeking
ways to use the situation to aid the APC to alter the results and
announce APC candidates as winners in the elections clearly led by
the PDP just as it did in the 2018 Osun State governorship
election.

He added: “In some of the states like Rivers, the PDP has
information of plots by APC to leverage on the declaration by INEC
to unleash more violence in the state and push for an isolated
election where they can bring in more security forces to
concentrate on forcefully taking over the state.

“Already, in Rivers State, INEC is under heavy pressure from the
Director General of the Buhari Campaign Organisation and Minister
of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, to post out and replace the State
Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) as well as the Administrative
Secretary.

“This will be totally unacceptable, completely provocative and
shall be firmly resisted by the people even if the totality of our
nation’s security is deployed to Rivers State.

“This is more so as results of all the state assembly elections
in Rivers state have been declared and winners had emerged.”

The PDP, therefore, cautioned Yakubu and his INEC to perish the
thoughts of altering any figures for the APC and to immediately
announce our winning results in these states and others where our
candidates clearly won, going by the results already declared at
the polling units, wards and local government collation.

He declared: “Anything short of this will attract the legitimate
wrath of the people.

“This is because Nigerians are already aware that elections have
been concluded in these states; results have been collated and
declared at the polling units, ward and local government collation
centres and all returning officers and political parties
conclusively have the figures.

“Prof. Yakubu must have noted how his name is becoming
synonymous to electoral manipulations, among Nigerians, and the
fact that our citizens and international community hold him
responsible for the rigging of the Presidential and other elections
for the APC.

“Today, the majority of Nigerians and the global democratic
institutions are questioning the state of our democracy and
electoral processes, which have been under siege under the
supervision of President Buhari and Prof. Mahmood Yakubu.”

“In the light of these INEC’s manipulative tendencies,” the PDP,
therefore, charged its leaders, teeming members and lovers of
democracy in the affected states to immediately commence a march to
INEC offices and use all legitimate means to protect our mandate as
freely given by the people at the polling units across the
nation.

Ologbodiyan said the move was not to cause anarchy but to
protest votes.

Nigeria Immigration Service Arraigns Passports
Racketeer

The Nigeria Immigration Service has arraigned Mr. Kenneth Aniebo
for alleged Passport racketeering at Federal High Court Abuja today
10th day of March, 2019.

Mr. Kenneth Aniebo aka “Ambassador” specializes in forging
documents to procure official passport for persons who are not
entitled to the said document. He was apprehended with five
Nigerian Official passports which he procured for some business men
last year.

He was subsequently arraigned in court by the legal Unit of the
Service on a 3 count charge of conspiracy, submission of false
information for the purpose of procuring passport for others and
forgery which are culpable offences under section 10 (c, e & f)
of the Immigration Act 2015. The Court has ordered that he be
remanded in Kuje Prison pending hearing of the case which was
adjourned for 28 May, 2019.

The Comptroller General of Immigration Service Muhammad
Babandede MFR uses this medium to advise the general public to
avoid patronizing unauthorized persons while seeking services from
the NIS.

SIGNED
DCI Sunday James pcc
Service Public Relations Officer
For: Comptroller General of Immigration