2019: PDP Passes Vote Of No Confidence On INEC, Accuses It Of Working For APC

PDP Governors Accuse INEC Of Bias

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of working for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The position of the PDP is contained in a communique issued at the end of an emergency meeting by governors on the party’s platform in Abuja, yesterday, in which it maintained that the electoral umpire has positioned itself as a tool of the APC-led Federal Government.

The governors also passed a vote of no confidence in the electoral umpire.

The communique, signed by the Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, who also doubles as the chairman of the Forum, urged INEC to reinvent itself and become a truly independent electoral umpire ahead of the 2019 general elections in the country.

“For now, we have no confidence in INEC. The commission has conducted itself as a tool of the APC-led Federal Government, especially with the roles of the Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, and a National Commissioner, Mrs. Amina Zakari.“

The PDP governors went further to condemn the failure of President Muhammadu Buhari to sign the Electoral Act amendment bill passed recently by the National Assembly.

In their submission, President Buhari’s decision to withhold assent to the new electoral law is an indication that he and the ruling APC were afraid of the introduction of technology into the electoral system.

However, the APC, in a swift response to the allegations, stated that the allegations by PDP, lacked credibility.

In its response through its acting national publicity, Yekini Nabena, APC said the rant by PDP, was a confirmation that they were losers.

“PDP knows that it cannot withstand the ruling party in a free and fair poll and that must have informed the recent alarm targeted at discrediting INEC.

“I want to emphasise that APC has confidence in INEC and before PDP can discredit INEC, they should retrospect and appraise the performance of INEC during their 16 years in power and compare it with the performance of INEC now. The PDP knows that it didn’t conduct credible elections while they were in charge.

“In case PDP forgot, let me remind them that almost all the elections INEC conducted under them ended in litigations. They were marred by fraud and irregularities. PDP lacks the moral to criticise INEC. The APC cannot degenerate to level of PDP in discrediting INEC,” he said.

Similarly, INEC, in a reaction through Rotimi Oyekanmi, Chief Press Secetary to INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said: “Since the inauguration of the current leadership of the INEC in November 2015, the Commission has been putting various measures in place to improve and strengthen the electoral process. And in doing so, the Commission has also carried all stakeholders along.

“Not only that, by putting all cards on the table at all times, INEC has continually demonstrated integrity, transparency and efficiency. The efforts are paying off. Only on August 31, the Commission brought the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) to a close after registering a record 14.5 million voters in 16 months.

“The Commission has also conducted about 190 different types of elections, including six governorship elections, none of which has been overturned. From the feedback we are getting from Nigerians, they are appreciative of our efforts and our pledge is that we will deliver a free, fair and credible 2019 General Elections.”