By Emeka Amaefula
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION RESULTS COLLATION: PDP PARTY AGENTS STORM OUT OVER NON-UPLOADING OF RESULTS IN INEC SERVER
Irked by the irregularities in the processing of the electoral results into the Independent National Electoral Commission’s server from the Polling Units in the 774 Local Government Areas in the 36 states plus Federal Capital territory-FCT Abuja, to allow comparison of results with the ones being presented by Ad hoc INEC Officers which led to the melo-drama at the Presidential election Results collation Center Abuja witnessed the walking out of Distinguished Senator Dino Melaye and His Excellency Rt. Honourable Emeka Ihedioha of Peoples Democratic Party-PDP and other political parties’ agents disagreed with the manner in which sections 64 and 65 of the Electoral Act 2022 as Amended. This took place on Monday 27th of February 2023 more than 48-hours that the election was conducted.
About 10 Political Parties’ Agents including Labour Party agent and PDP agents walked out from the National Electoral Collation Centers Abuja with Senator Dino Melaye addressed journalists outside the Center alleging that they cannot rubber stamp electoral fraud as presented by INEC and All Progressives Congress-APC. Dino Melaye said that what INEC is processing are at variance with what they have from their Party Agents across the 176,000 Polling Units across Nigeria.
The Labour Party Agents who joined Dino Melaye concurred the same position of not accepting what INEC and APC are presenting to Nigerians. The use of BVAS electronic device in accordance to the Electoral Act 2022 as Amended were to be used in the transmission of the Results directly from the 176,000 Polling Units across Nigeria.
But in response to the various allegations INEC National chairman Professor Yakubu Mahmood cleared all the insinuations. And continued with the processing of the electoral results.
The implication of the walk out by the over 10 -Political Parties’ Agents remain that they will not assent to the outcome of the published Result of 2023 Presidential election which will give absolute credence for the parties to approach the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal as already constituted by the Government. Less than 40 percent of the 176,000 Polling Units Electoral results have been uploaded to INEC Server which remain insufficient for a foolproof after 48-hours since the election was concluded.