March 06, (THEWILL) – The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), will this Monday, embark on a street protest against the conduct and outcome of the presidential election.
The peaceful protest march is to end at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters in Abuja, as early as 10.00a.m.
Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Ibrahim Abdullahi, said the protest was planned to show the party’s disenchantment with the flawed poll, insisting that the election should be cancelled.
“It (the protest) is to register its grievances and disenchantment following the just concluded presidential and National Assembly elections,” he said.
INEC had on Wednesday, declared Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the winner of the February presidential election.
The Chief Collation Officer of the election, who doubled as Chairman of the INEC, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, declared that Tinubu polled 8,794,726 votes to beat Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who got 6,984,520, and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP), who secured 6,101,533 votes.
The PDP had on Friday, rejected the declaration of Tinubu as President-elect by the electoral umpire. It demanded that INEC should immediately withdraw the Certificate of Return (CoR) issued to the former Lagos State Governor and cancel the poll in line deference to Section 65 of the Electoral Act 2022.
It insisted that the electoral body, in declaring the APC flag-bearer as the winner of the contest, acted contrary to provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), Electoral Act 2022 and guidelines and regulations for the conduct of the 2023 presidential election.
The party also claimed that its standard-bearer, Atiku Abubakar, “clearly won the February 25, 2023, presidential election, having evidently scored the majority of lawful votes cast by Nigerians at the polling units.”
It equally held that the exercise was marred by “deliberate malpractices, including the non-use of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and INEC’s refusal/failure to transmit directly results from polling units to its server/website in flagrant violation of Section 60 (4)(b) of the Electoral Act 2022.
“This violation of the Electoral Act by INEC, as attested to by political parties, voters, Nigerians of all walks of life, as well as local and International observers, paved way for alteration, falsification, switching of results and allocation of figures in favour of the APC,” it added.
However, a memo signed on Sunday, by the Director of Administration on behalf of the Director General of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council, Aminu Tambuwal, invited the party’s National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, presidential running mate, Ifeanyi Okowa and other Governors to a protest march in Abuja.
Also invited were former Senate Presidents, David Mark and Bukola Saraki, Board of Trustees members, National Executive Committee members, National Working Committee members, Directors, Deputy and Assistant Directors of the National Election Management Committee, Presidential Campaign Council members as well as Persons Living With Disabilities.
The momo reads: “I am directed to respectfully invite your excellencies: The National Chairman, Dr Iyrochia Ayu, The Vice Presidential Candidate and Governor of Delta State, Dr Ifeanyichukwu Okowa, Governors of Akwa Ibom and Chairman of PCC, Mr Udom Emmanuel, Sokoto State and DG of PCC, Rt Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, and Governors of Bayelsa, Edo, Adamawa, Bauchi, Taraba and Osun states;
“Former Senate Presidents, Senator David Mark and Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki, BoT members, NEC members, the PDP Senators and House of Representatives Members, NWC members of the party, DDGs, Directors, Deputies and Assistant Directors of NCMC; Members of the PCC; leadership of People Living with Disabilities and all other stakeholders to a protest match to INEC office.’’
Participants are directed to wear black attires in demonstration of the sombre mood of the party.
