INEC has denied Atiku access to election materials, says PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has refused Atiku Abubakar access to election materials despite a court order directing the commission to do so.

Atiku, presidential candidate of the PDP, lost the February 23 election to President Muhammadu Buhari.

Dissatisfied with the outcome of the election, he had headed to the court.

He had filed an application to compel INEC to grant him access to materials used for the election and the court granted his prayer.

But the PDP said INEC has refused to obey the ruling of the appeal court for Atiku to inspect documents and materials used for the election.

“There is a deliberate and wicked ploy by INEC, acting in cahoots with the All Progressives Congress (APC) to frustrate the people-backed resolve by Atiku Abubakar and the PDP to timeously file and mention our petition at the Presidential election Tribunal, and by so doing, ambush the case,” Kola Ologbondiyan, spokesman of the party, said in a statement.

“It is imperative to inform Nigerians that upon obtaining the lawful order of the Court, directing INEC to forthwith, avail Atiku Abubakar and the PDP copies of all the documents and other materials used for the Presidential election, our legal team wrote to the INEC Chairman on the 11th and 12th of March 2019 respectively, causing the Order to be served on INEC and requesting access to the said documents and materials.

“Despite being served with the Order and several follow-ups, the leadership of INEC has refused to grant the PDP and Atiku Abubakar access to the materials and documents, notwithstanding the urgency of the matter.

“This action by the leadership of INEC has further exposed that it has been heavily compromised by the Buhari Presidency to rig the February 23, 2019 Presidential election and to frustrate the quest by Nigerians to reclaim the mandate from President Muhammadu Buhari and save the nation from the crisis of an illegitimate government.”

The party accused the leadership of INEC and the APC of seeking to frustrate the court option, seeing that “the documents and materials will expressly show that Atiku Abubakar clearly won the election by the votes directly delivered at the polling units across the country as well as expose how the commission and the Buhari Presidency manipulated the results for President Buhari.”