The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the recent presidential election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has called the attention of Nigerians to what he called “the game plan” to upturn the democratic wishes of the people of Adamawa State in the governorship election in the state.
In a press release by his Media Adviser, Mr Paul Ibe, Atiku said that the initial decision of the Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Barrister Hudu Yunusa to declare the candidate of the All Progressives APC), Senator Aisha Binani, as the winner of the election is a “case study to the shambolic nature of the 2023 elections in general”.
The former Vice President further said: “Here in Adamawa, we are witnesses to a novel practice in election management where a Resident Electoral Commissioner announced the loser of an election as a winner.
“It is not in doubt that INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission) has approached the Adamawa State election with a preset agenda of declaring the APC at all cost.
“It is, therefore, on this note that we wish to call the attention of the world to the scheme being perpetrated by INEC to compromise the electoral wishes of the people of Adamawa State.
“We also wish to inform the world that such behaviour by INEC has a natural consequence of unsettling the peace and security of the society.
“We have seen how INEC conducted the 25th February and 18th March elections against the run of play and challenging cheated candidates to go to the court, knowing full well the agenda that they are up to.
“It must be put on record that the people of Adamawa State will not allow themselves to cheated three times in a row. It must also be put on record that whatever the consequences of the scheme being scripted, both the INEC and those vested with state powers should be blamed for the consequences of such actions.
“That the APC candidate had a prepared acceptance speech is a pointer to the guarantee of a false victory which the INEC must have promised her.
“Recall that this was the same Resident Electoral Commissioner who pressured the Returning Officer to manipulate the results of the contentious Fufore Local Government Area in the 18th March governorship election.
“The people of Adamawa shall not allow this injustice to pass without being challenged.
“We demand the immediate resumption of the collation of results and its finalisation today.
“It is also our demand that the Adamawa REC and any other parties complicit in this treasonable act should be arrested immediately and prosecuted to the full extent of the law to serve as a deterrent to anti-democratic forces who may want to torpedo our democracy and provoke violence in our country”.
