Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has demanded an immediate halt  to the collation of the presidential election results by  the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC),  until data from Smart Card Reader accreditation at the various polling units are made available to all the political parties that participated in the poll.

Former minister of Special Duties and Deputy Director General (Administration) of the party’s Presidential Campaign Organisation, Tanimu Turaki (SAN), made the demand at a press briefing,   in Abuja, yesterday.

He said the party’s demand is in line with its commitment to a transparent, free and fair election, and noted that the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, has already communicated the position of the party to the INEC Chairman, Professor  Mahmood Yakubu.

Turaki stated that the opposition party has evidence that data from the Smart Card Readers are being tampered with; to suit alleged manipulation of the presidential poll, by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Consequently, the former minister urged Nigerians to disregard the results being collated by INEC until the electoral body provides the data from the smart card reader accreditation at the polling units, as well as  conduct  fresh elections in Borno, Yobe and Zamfara states and restore the opposition party’s  votes in Plateau, FCT, Kogi and Nasarawa states.

“We have evidence from the smart card reader accreditation data that what is being announced by INEC has been seriously tampered with and manipulated.

“In the meantime, we demand the immediate and outright cancellation of Presidential election results in Yobe, Zamfara, Nasarawa and Borno states as submitted by INEC presiding officers and ask for the conduct of fresh elections in these states.

“In Yobe, the total number of votes submitted as cast was  more than the number of accredited voters. Whereas the number of accredited voters was 601, 056, the total votes cast was 775, 449.

“This is a clear case of over-voting which, by the provisions of the Electoral Act, renders the election null and void. In such instance, the law provides for another election on a day to be fixed by INEC.

“In Zamfara state, no actual voting took place and there was no single result sheet in any polling unit in the entire state. There was an arrest in Shinkafi Local Government, where an APC member was caught thumb-printing ballot papers inside his house.

“Results from the presiding officer from Zamfara were concocted and allocated; according to the wishes of the leadership of the APC and INEC.

“The PDP, therefore, demands the outright deletion of the results from Zamfara from INEC records and conduct of another free, fair and credible presidential election in Zamfara state.

“Also,  in Borno state, there was no election but a figure-writing exercise and allocation of results; according to the whims and caprices of the APC leaders…”