By NAN
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused APC of plotting to destabilise Nigeria by rejecting the electronic transmission of election results.
The party stated this in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, in Abuja on Thursday.
Ologbondiyan said the PDP and the majority of Nigerians were shocked over the Senate’s rejection of the demand by Nigerians across the board for the electronic transmission of election results without conditionalities.
The decision, according to him, amounts to undermining Nigeria’s electoral process.
He alleged that the action of APC senators was an “atrocious assault on the sensibilities of Nigerians, who looked up to the Senate for improvement in our electoral process in a manner that would engender free, fair, and credible process.”
The opposition spokesman added, “It is outrageous that the APC-led Senate, in the bid to annex the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), sought to route a statutorily independent commission to the approval of the Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC) before conducting elections.”
Ologbondiyan further noted that the senators’ action was a direct affront and defilement of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) that confers operational independence to INEC to conduct elections, free from interferences and regulations of any other agency of government.
“The decision of the APC senators, therefore, amounts to a suspension of the 1999 constitution (as amended) which is a recipe for crisis that could derail our democracy and destabilise our nation,” he stated.
Ologbondiyan also described it as preparation for the rigging of elections.
“Our party, standing with Nigerians, however, commends the PDP senators as well as other democratically-minded senators in the chamber for their resilience in voting for unconditional electronic transmission of results,” the statement said. “This is in line with the wishes and aspiration of Nigerians for a free, fair, clean, and credible election.”
NAN
