PDP insists on Wada
By Ene Osang, Emeka Nze and Bode Olagoke, Abuja
A coalition of 12 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) has protested against the outcome of last Saturday’s supplementary polls in Kogi state, describing the process as “a confusion and rape of democracy.”
The coalition therefore called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure a free and fair process in Bayelsa state.
Tagged “Marching in Defence of Democracy”, the protest took place at the Unity Fountain Square Abuja at the weekend, beginning with a press briefing before proceeding to submit a written petition to INEC at its Headquarters.
The protesters wore branded t-shirts, holding banners with different inscriptions such as “INEC must ensure free and fair elections in Bayelsa, INEC ought to approach the Supreme Court for interpretation in the Kogi debacle, INEC should move our democracy forward & Not backward.”
Some of the groups in the coalition included Nigeria Unity Movement (NUM), Centre For Northern Awareness and Development (CENAD), Southern Youth Leaders Assembly (SYLA), Nigeria In Safe Hands Group (NISH Group), Advocate for Sustainable Change (ASC), and the Progressive Youths for Change (PYC) , and were received by some directors at the INEC office.
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) insisted yesterday that its candidate in the Kogi polls, Captain Idris Wada, must be declared winner since the highest scorer in the election, Prince Abubakar Audu died while the election was yet to be concluded.
The party also said the All Progressives Congress (APC) connived with the military to rig the election in Bayelsa state, especially in the Southern Ijaw local government area with the largest population.
It said: “This rigging is being coordinated by the same Army Major who supervised the killings yesterday (Saturday). The Major has handed most of the sensitive materials to APC agents to fill and return as results in the evening.”
The party’s positions were contained in two separate statements released yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh.
On the Kogi election, it said; the declaration of Yahaya Bello as winner of the Kogi state gubernatorial election by INEC “is not only a waste of time and scarce national resources but also ridiculous and shadow-chasing.”
It said “the action of INEC in trying to transfer the votes earlier garnered by the dead APC candidate, Prince Abubakar, to another individual is completely impractical and alien to the nation’s Constitution and the Electoral Act.”
The party described the above figure as a far cry from the 204,877 votes polled by Wada, the PDP candidate, in the overall election.
“The declaration by INEC that one Yahaya Bello polled the highest number of votes is an embarrassing travesty of the nation’s democracy and electoral process. Not only that this individual is not in any way a valid candidate in the election, he also did not score the overall votes declared against his name by INEC and cannot be declared winner under any circumstance within the provisions of our laws.
“The provisions of the constitution and the electoral act are clear to the effect that with the unfortunate death of Prince Abubakar Audu before the conclusion of the election, and the fact that the laws do not permit the replacement of candidates once the balloting has commenced, the APC crashed out of the race, leaving the PDP candidate, Governor Idris Wada, as the clear winner, having garnered 204,877 votes to top all other contestants since Prince Ababakar, the hitherto leading contestant died with his votes.
“We all, including INEC and the APC, know that nothing other than declaring Governor Idris Wada winner of the election fulfils the requirements of the law under the circumstance. APC cannot have two candidates in one election and the bitter in-fighting within their fold shows the absurdity of INEC’s decision in that regard.
“Indeed, we remain shocked that INEC could elect to create such embarrassing and
inciting setting just to show its ‘friendship’ with the ruling government.”
The PDP charged its members and supporters “to remain calm and resist all provocations from the APC, which is now seeking the opportunity to trigger violence in the face of their misfortune, especially as the law will soon take the centre stage, right the wrong created by INEC and declare Governor Wada winner.”
In a reaction, former Vice President and chieftain of the APC, has congratulated Bello on his victory, saying the outcome of the election had enriched the nation’s democracy.
Atiku said the fact that the election resulted in a clear winner “after all the doubts, tension, uncertainty, stresses and strains,” was testimony that the people were resilient and peace-loving.
In a press statement yesterday from his media office in Abuja, the APC leader said the outcome of the election had to a significant extent, enriched the nation’s democracy “because it has shown that Nigerians can manage complex situations and yet make something out of it to the satisfaction of all concerned.”
He commended the governor- elect, expressing gratitude to the people for entrusting their affairs to a member and candidate of his party.
Atiku enjoined the governor-elect to carry everyone along as he sets out to organise his administration for the good of the party and the people of the state at large.
He, however, advised the aggrieved to respect the memory of the late former governor of the state, Prince Audu, who was coasting to victory before his untimely and sudden death, by availing themselves of the known Constitutional ways of seeking redress after an election.
