The Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organization (PPCO) has demanded an immediate stakeholders’ meeting with the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, over his assertion that some politicians were buying Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) ahead of the general elections.
The PPCO, after a thorough review of this grave assertion, particularly coming from the INEC Chairman, insisted that it must not be swept under the carpet, but required an immediate interrogation by stakeholders across party lines.
The statement released by the organization’s spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan reads thus:
“We hold that such declaration by the INEC Chairman must have been informed by certain facts, which the stakeholders and indeed, all Nigerians deserve to know”.
“It is not enough for the INEC Chairman to state that politicians are buying votes. We demand an extensive scrutiny on the issue in an open stakeholders’ meeting, particularly given the manifest desperation of the Buhari Presidency and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to manipulate the electoral process”.
“INEC must therefore avail stakeholders with information on those buying the PVCs as well as the steps it is taking to check such nefarious act and ensure that the purchased PVCs are not used in the elections”.
The PPCO therefore urged the INEC Chairman to note that Nigerians were still awaiting his action on their consensus that Mrs. Amina Zakari has become a virus injected by the Buhari Presidency to corrupt the electoral process and as such must be distanced from all processes related to the Presidential election, if that poll must be peaceful, credible, free and fair.
