- PDP demands cancellation of polls over irregularities
The Minister of State for Power Works, and Housing, Alhaji Mustapha Shehuri has lamented that the security situation of Borno State has robbed the All Progressives Congress (APC) half of the expected votes from the troubled state.
Also the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state called for the cancellation of the polls, alleging fragrant disobedience of electoral rules.
Speaking to journalists at the Collation Centre for the Presidential Election in Borno State, Shehuri who said he was happy with the early result that gave President Buhari the edge in the state, lamented that it fell short of expectations as the state was one of the stronghold of the APC.
He said he is not supprised with the landslide victory of the president in Borno state, because the president was able to fulfill the three cardinal principles of his administration which is tackling Boko Haram insurgency and other security challenges facing the nation prior to his administration, improvement of the battered country’s economy as well as his doggednes in the fight against corruption, which has further endear him to the people of the state.
He said it was just sad that the recent security situation of Borno has limited the number of votes garnered from Borno
But also speaking at the Collation Centre, the PDP Presidential collation agent for Borno state, Mr Nicholas Msheliza protested that the results so far collated was not the true reflection of what was sent in by the various party agents in the state.
He added that most of the results presented were not countersigned by the PDP agents as displayed, he said he has pointed out this at the collation centre. End
Meanwhile the candidates of the PDP to the National Assembly have called for the cancellation of the entire process for failing to meet the electoral guidelines.
They alleged gross violations of the electoral law throughout the process and called on the INEC Chairman and the Resident Electoral Commissioner to declare the elections in the state null and void and, therefore, cancel it or risk being cancelled at the court of law.
“We are rejecting the entire outcome because the entire process has been violated ab initio,” Senator Muhammadu Abva-Aji, PDP senatorial candidate for Borno Central who was flanked at the Press Conference by five other National Assembly candidates.
He argued that the law says if such situation obtains the election shall be null and void even if concluded.
They (the candidates) said even if they had won the elections they would have rejected them because the process had been violated ab initio.
“Section 22 of the Electoral Law says that elections shall be conducted at the Polling Units, the votes counted instantly and copies of the results served all the party agents, the Electoral officers, the security agents, and then pasted on the walls of the polling unit location for everyone to see; but in Borno State, none of the results were announced at the PUs according to law, but taken instead to ward and LG collation centres; this is a flagrant violation of the law,” they argued.
The aggrieved candidates also cited instances of over voting, arguing: “in Dikwa the APC candidate of the Dikwa/Mafa/Konduga fedetal constituency was declared as polling 19,304, while his PDP candidate polled 1359; but the total number of registered voters there is 18,245.”
They said they notified the REC and the INEC Chairman to check the validity of their claims and cancel the elections in the state accordingly, or risk getting them canceled at the election tribunals.
“We are rejecting whatever is the outcome of the just concluded presidential and national assembly elections in Borno State because it has blatantly violated the law at all stages,” they stressed.
