Presidential tribunal: INEC obstructing cause of justice – PDP
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of obstructing the cause of justice in its petition before the presidential election tribunal, by refusing to release the election materials used for the conduct of the February 23, presidential election.
The party also wants the commission to be charged with contempt, noting that its action was a contravention of the order of the Court of Appeal.
PDP in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, stated that the continued refusal of INEC to release the electoral materials to its legal team was completely provocative.
According to the party, it showed that the commission was working in cahoots with the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the presidency to frustrate the PDP and its candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
“INEC and the APC are apprehensive that the materials, particularly the forms EC8D and EC40G, in addition to the report of the smart card readers used in the presidential election, will show at the tribunal that the PDP and Atiku Abubakar clearly won the presidential election,” the statement said.
The party alleged that it was informed that the APC and some top INEC officials were boasting that they would never allow the materials and documents to be released to the PDP legal team.
“This is the reason the APC and INEC manufactured a groundless claim that the form EC8D, EC40G and the reports of the card readers were not specifically captured in the order of the court whereas the court was unequivocal in its order that all materials used for the election be made available to our legal team.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the Court of Appeal, among other orders, directed INEC to release and allow our legal team to ‘inspect, scan, forensically audit and make copies of forms EC4OA, EC8A, EC8AVP, EC8B, EC8C, EC8E and all other electoral forms and materials including, but not limited to ballot papers and voters registers and materials used for the conduct of the presidential election, held across Nigeria on the 23rd of February, 2019, for the purpose of instituting and maintaining an election petition’.
“The refusal of INEC to release forms EC8D, EC40G and the reports of the card readers is therefore a deliberate and vicious disobedience to the orders of the court for which the management of INEC should be charged for contempt,” the party added.
It alleged that having rigged the election in favour of APC, INEC was now seeking ways to frustrate PDP petition at the tribunal.
“We therefore charge INEC, having been exposed, to end its shenanigan and release these documents without further delay,” PDP further demanded.
