Nigeria’s leading opposition parties have asked Professor Mahmood Yakubu, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to step down.
The parties – Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP)and the Action Democratic Party (ADP) – made the call at a press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday.
Julius Abure, Chairman of Labour Party, who spoke on their behalf, said Nigerians had lost confidence in the electoral process because of the refusal to use electronic means of transmitting results as stated by the Electoral Act.
“We are therefore constrained by this development to state that INEC compromised the integrity of this election even before collation commenced at the polling units.
“Section 60 sub-section 5 of the Electoral Act says that the presiding officer shall transfer the results, including total number of accredited voters and the results of the ballots in a manner as prescribed by the commission.
“A failure to comply with the provisions of the Electoral Act and the guidelines makes it imperative that all results recently uploaded on the IReV portal must be updated before they are announced.
“INEC went back on that promise…This election is not free and far from being fair and transparent.
“We shall not be part of the electoral process currently going on at the National Collation Centre and we demand that this sham of an election be immediately cancelled.
“We also call for a fresh election to be carried out in accordance to the laid down INEC procedure.
“We therefore call on Yakubu to step aside from his role,” the LP National Chairman, Julius Abure, who delivered the position of the three opposition parties, said.
The parties asked Yakubu to step aside from his role as INEC Chairman for a “credible personality” outside the commission to take his place and oversee the process that would be acceptable to all stakeholders and will restore the confidence of the international community, the democratic process and institutions.
“We have a responsibility to the millions of Nigerians who put their faith in us and our presidential candidates to defend our country from the forces that seek to tear us apart,” he added.
The parties therefore called on the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to stand by his promise to Nigerians to leave a legacy of a free, fair, transparent and credible election.
Abure said, “President Buhari, this is the time of great test of your integrity, use your office to save Nigeria from this electoral mismanagement and save your legacy.
“We call on Nigerians to join us in defending the democracy of our country.”
Present at the press briefing alongside LP’s Abure are the PDP National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu; as well as their ADC counterpart, Ralph Nwosu.