Adams Oshiomhole, National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of conniving with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to postpone the elections.
He stated this at the APC national caucus meeting held in Abuja on Monday in the aftermath of Saturday’s postponement of the 2019 elections.
According to Oshiomhole, INEC pre-informed PDP of the postponement but failed to inform other stakeholders.
Making the accusation, he said: “From all we have now known, I can put my hand on the Holy Koran that INEC leadership knew that they were going to postpone the elections. They shared this information with the Peoples Democratic Party and advised them not to waste their resources, while pretending to us that they are on top of the situation.
“Anytime we raised observation, they were on top of the situation, whereas they were on top of this arrangement that was meant to create confusion across the country. I think INEC deserves to make an explanation to us, not because we are a governing party, but because we are a major player. Whatever information INEC conveyed to PDP, they ought to have conveyed it to us.
“Mr. President, what INEC is doing in collusion with PDP is to get PDP to be shouting that they want INEC Chairman removed and all sorts of fake attacks; that they want the INEC Chairman to go. If you ask me as APC Chairman too, I second Secondus. I have no difficulties seconding Secondus to have a new INEC Chairman, if that’s what we need to have a credible election. But this is a fake posturing, because in truth, when I listen to Secondus talk about removing the INEC Chairman, I listen to PDP rep, Chidoka, at the briefing and he was busy commending and congratulating INEC for the courage. If we commend people for courage for cancelling what was meant to be, what do we do when they are successful?
“So, all of these show the contradictions. Mr. President, it will be such a tragedy if, as a ruling party, we cannot complain of being rigged out, yet all the early warning indicators are there that this INEC leadership is up for a game.”
At the meeting, Pshiomhole also said the APC would continue with its campaign in the light of the postponement of the elections.
“To ask us as a political party not to go out? The members, our people, would have forgotten. Some would have assumed that ‘look, I’m not sure what these people want’. And the result could be very, very low turnout. That is not good for a party that has huge, huge support base. It can only be good for a party that is not sure of its level of grassroots support,” he said.
“So, without consulting INEC, we are proceeding and we are ready to meet them in court. Because they cannot by administrative fiat amend or distort extra provisions in the relevant electoral act and those laws are not secret to INEC.”
