Guber Elections: PDP Blames INEC, Security Agencies for its Failure

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has questioned the conduct of some Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials and security agencies in last Saturday’s governorship and state assembly elections.
The party accused some INEC and security officials for supporting widespread irregularities in the governorship and State Assembly elections.
PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, said in a statement on Monday that the elections were characterized by widespread irregularities aided and abetted by certain INEC and security officials to the advantage of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and wondered if such officials were intimidated by APC’s blackmail and propaganda to deliver its candidates in the polls.
According to the PDP, “Evidence abounds of widespread irregularities across the country with INEC rejecting results from the strongholds of PDP candidates for no just cause while accepting the figures of the APC.”
Giving instances, PDP said that ‎in Lagos, Adamawa, Plateau, Benue, Kwara, Ogun, Oyo, Kano, Jigawa, Bauchi, Nasarawa, Niger, Yobe, Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi and Imo states, there were proofs of electoral manipulations ranging from underage voting, ballot stuffing and intimidation of PDP supporters to alteration of some aspects of the process in favour of APC.
“In Abia state, but for the outcry of the people and timely intervention of the INEC headquarters which rejected the illegal cancellation of results from three local governments and strongholds of the PDP by the State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) even after they have been announced by the returning officers, the PDP would have been robbed of its well-deserved victory in those areas.
“As a responsible party committed to national unity and democracy, our members have remained peaceful and orderly; our candidates have been conceding defeat in the interest of peace while we elect to channel our protest to the appropriate quarters.
“The same have not been seen of the APC, which has unleashed its members to cause mayhem and harass our supporters in states where PDP candidates clearly won, such as Akwa-Ibom, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Ondo, Rivers and Gombe states.
“While we urge INEC to take disciplinary actions against its erring officials, we strongly call to question the sincerity of some of the observers especially regarding their failure to raise issues on the irregularities that characterized the voting pattern in most of the states where APC candidates have been declared winner.
“Finally, we invite Nigerians and the international community to note the emerging dangerous trend in our country. There are rising concerns that the APC may have commenced a systematic destruction of democratic institutions and culture, which the PDP successfully nurtured in the last 16 years.
“Indeed, we wonder if there is a deliberate attempt to also erode the discipline and professionalism of our security forces and entrench the culture of impunity our society,” the PDP stated.