Decision Of The APC-Led Senate Shocking, It Undermines Our Electoral Process — PDP

Says APC Senators Preparing Grounds For Mass Vote Rigging

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has expressed shock over the decision of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Senate to, according to the party, undermine the electoral process by refusing to approve the demand by Nigerians across the board for electronic transmission of election results without conditionalities.

It viewed the idea of routing the decision on electronic transmission of results on the Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC) as a violation of the constitution, saying that the APC Senators are preparing grounds for the massive rigging of elections.

The party stated this position in a statement issued by Kola Ologbondiyan, its National Publicity Secretary, in response to the amendment on the Electoral Act passed by the Senate on Thursday.

The statement said: “The action of the APC senators is an atrocious assault on the sensibilities of Nigerians, who looked up to the Senate for improvement in our electoral process in a manner that will engender free, fair and credible process.

“It is outrageous that the APC and its Senators, in their desperate bid to annex the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) seek to route a statutorily independent commission to the approval of an individual masquerading in the Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC); an agency under executive control in addition to an extra endorsement of the legislature, before conducting elections.

“This action of the APC senators is a direct affront, novel in its recklessness and a defilement of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which clearly conferred operational independence to INEC to conduct elections, free from interferences and regulations from 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.

“It is, to say the least, a preparation for mass rigging of elections across Nigeria by the APC, which must be firmly resisted.

“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, in line with the wishes and aspiration of Nigerians for free, fair, clean and credible election.”

The PDP, however, noted the efforts being made in the House of Representatives and urged lawmakers to return to the chamber tomorrow and save the nation “from the machination of the APC as being pushed in the Senate.”