The Peoples Democratic Party on Monday alleged the electoral officers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) across the federation are members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“The PDP alerts Nigerians that INEC has been taking directives from the Buhari Presidency and the APC on how to manipulate our electoral process at various levels,” PDP spokesman Kola Ologbondiyan said at a press conference in Abuja.
“To this end, INEC has collected a list of people that will serve as electoral officials, including ad-hoc staff and returning officers at the polling units, from APC state governors and candidates, across the federation, on the directives of the Buhari Presidency.”
Ologbondiyan, however, did not provide evidence to support his claims.
He said President Muhammdu Buhari and his party, APC, were plotting to ensure institutional manipulation of the electoral process, including accreditation, voting and collation of results at the polling units.
The PDP spokesman called on INEC to publish the list of its electoral officers nationwide.
Ologbondiyan said: “In the light of the foregoing, the PDP demands that INEC, within the next 48 hours, publish the list of all officials and ad-hoc staff that will play any form of role in the election at all levels for verification by stakeholders.”
He stated that refusal to publish the list within 48 hours would be a clear indication that INEC has been compromised by the APC, Buhari led government.
Ologbondiyan urged INEC chairman Yakubu Mahmood to note that the fate of the nation lies in his hands, stating that the conduct of the election would mark his tenure as INEC boss to be a good or bad one for the nation.
The PDP spokesman called on the international community to place INEC chairman, directors and commissioners on a watch list and place them on travel ban over plots to rig the February 16, 2019, presidential elections.
