LP, PDP, ADC demand INEC chair’s resignation

The Labour Party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and African Democratic Congress (ADC) have demanded the resignation of Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu.

The opposition parties made the demand in a joint press conference in Abuja on Tuesday.

According to the parties, Saturday’s presidential and national assembly elections were marred by violence, rigging and intimidation of voters.

The party called for fresh elections under a new INEC leadership.

National Chairman of the PDP, Senator Iyorchia Ayu said, “All those, who are supporting us across Nigeria will get justice. Democracy may sound very expensive, it’s certainly not cheap. But if we think it’s expensive try dictatorship, you will see the cost.

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“We don’t want INEC to turn itself to a dictatorship and destroy the very democracy we’ve suffered or laboured for or built the last 20 something years.”

National Chairman of LP, Julius Abure said, “We are therefore constrained by this development to state that INEC compromised the integrity of this election even before collation commenced at the polling units.

“Section 60 sub-section 5 of the Electoral Act says that the presiding officer shall transfer the results, including total number of accredited voters and the results of the ballots in a manner as prescribed by the commission.

“A failure to comply with the provisions of the Electoral Act and the guidelines makes it imperative that all results recently uploaded on the IReV portal must be updated before they are announced.

“INEC went back on that promise…This election is not free and far from being fair and transparent.

“We shall not be part of the electoral process currently going on at the National Collation Centre and we demand that this sham of an election be immediately cancelled.

“We also call for a fresh election to be carried out in accordance to the laid down INEC procedure.

“We therefore call on Yakubu to step aside from his role.”

Also present at the press briefing was the National Chairman of ADC, Ralph Nwosu.