Peoples Democratic Party on Thursday faulted the declaration of All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, by the Independent National Electoral Commission as the winner of Saturday’s presidential election.
The party, however, insisting that its flag bearer, Atiku Abubakar, won the keenly contested election.
PDP made this claim in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Hon. Debo Ologunagba.
INEC declared Tinubu as the president-elect in the early hours of Wednesday.
The APC presidential candidate was declared the president-elect by the INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu,
after he polled 8,794,726 votes to win the 2023 presidential election.
Yakubu announced Tinubu as the winner of the election at the International Collation Centre in Abuja.
But PDP on Thursday called on INEC to immediately withdraw the Certificate of Return issued to Tinubu and cancel the presidential election”
The opposition party said that the request was in line with INEC powers under Section 65 of the Electoral Act 2022.
The PDP said by declaring Tinubu winner, INEC acted contrary to the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), the Electoral Act 2022 and the INEC guidelines and regulations for the conduct of the 2023 presidential election.
The statement read, “The PDP holds that its Presidential Candidate, 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.
“Sadly, the election was marred by deliberate malpractices including the non-use of the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System and INEC’s refusal/failure to transmit directly the 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 the way for the alteration, falsification, switching of results and allocation of figures in favour of the APC.
“By refusing therefore to transmit directly the results from the Polling Units, INEC violated the Electoral Act and its Rules and Regulation, compromised the process and marred the integrity and credibility of the election results.
“The PDP, therefore, asserts that consequent upon the violation by INEC of Section 60 (4) of the Electoral Act, 2022 and its Rules and Guidelines on the election, the results announced by the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, having not been earlier transmitted directly from the Polling Units before the announcement are ultra vires, of no consequence and cannot stand.
“Consequently, our party and its presidential candidate have commenced an action for legal redress to reclaim our victory in the 2023 Presidential election.
“We appeal to our numerous supporters in Nigeria and across the world to remain calm, resilient, resolute and steadfast in the defence of democracy and the victory of our Party in the 2023 presidential elections.”