PDP calls on Inec to withdraw the certificate of return it issues to Tinubu saying Atiku won

NIGERIA'S main opposition the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) to withdraw the certificate of return it issued to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Nigerians went to the polls on Saturday to elect a new president and in the early hours of yesterday morning, Inec declared Asiwaju Tinubu the winner of the contest. Professor Mahmood Yakubu, the Inec chairman who served as the returning officer for the election, declared Asiwaju Tinubu the winner with 8,794,726  votes, defeating his nearest opponent, former vice president Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the PDP who came second with 6,984,520 votes.

Among the main frontrunners in the elections were former Lagos State governor Asiwaju Tinubu of the APC, Alhaji Abubakar of the PDP, former Kano State governor Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) and Governor Peter Obi of the Labour Party. In what was effectively a three-horse race, Governor Obi was the surprise package of the elections as his Labour Party came from nowhere to win 12 states, as did the APC and PDP.

Already, Governor Obi and the Labour Party have rejected the results, claiming they believe they won. Now, it appears that the PDP too is claiming victory as Debo Ologunagba, the party's publicity secretary asked Inec to immediately withdraws the certificate of return issued to Asiwaju Tinubu and cancel the presidential elections.

According to the PDP, by declaring Asiwaju Tinubu as winner, Inec acted contrary to the provisions of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, the Electoral Act 2022 and the Inec guidelines and regulations for the conduct of the 2023 presidential election. In addition, the party claims its candidate won the elections.

Mr Ologunagba said:  “The PDP holds that its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar clearly won the February 25, 2023 presidential elections 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 regulations, 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, Professor 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.”